Smarter driving techniques

Awareness of the road around you and of how you are driving is crucial in avoiding accidents – and for keeping your annual car insurance quote low. But did you know that you can get more miles to the gallon, too.

Environmentally-friendly hypermiling, for example, uses as little fuel as possible and all it takes to cut your fuel costs is a change of driving style. So keep your insurance premiums on track by taking care of your driving. Smarter driving techniques include:

Braking smoothly
In fact you rarely need to slam on your brakes. In many cases, as long as you keep your eyes on the road ahead, it’s pretty obvious when you need to stop. Giving yourself a ‘slow down’ warning allows you to come smoothly to a halt.

Cruise control
If you have a cruise control function on your car, use it. All you need do is set the cruise control to a safe and efficient speed for a particular portion of your journey. This cuts out your tendency for it to creep up or slow down.

Gentle acceleration
Reach your optimum speed with the least possible fuel usage. A good cruising speed will relate to a particular rpm on your car, shown by your rev counter. When accelerating try not to go over this point, so your speed carries on rising but revs stay where they are. As you hit optimum cruise, acceleration should stop, too.

Decluttering your car
The more weight you have in your car, the more fuel is needed to drive it, particularly when you start and stop. So get rid of any excess baggage where possible.

Streamline your car
Roof racks, bike racks or top boxes override the inbuilt aerodynamics of your car, causing the vehicle to work harder and consequently use more fuel. When you’ve finished using a rack or box, remove it.

Whatever car you drive, make sure you look after it properly, visit the car advice section of our website for further tips and even if you think you're already a good driver, check out our other useful motoring advice section that can help you stay safe on the roads and get the most out of driving.

Get a car insurance quote from Privilege today.

Note: all statistics from YouGov research carried out in May 2006.