Published On:Monday, 2 January 2017
Posted by ARAB GAZETTE. weekly newspaper issued on Sunday morning - London, UNITED KINGDOMمؤسسة الوطن العربى الإعلامية - لندن ، المملكة المتحدة . WA MEDIA FOUNDATION - LONDON, UK
Eco-driving important for UAE until public transport serves needs
Eco-driving important for UAE until public transport serves needs
ARAB GAZETTE - BY: Naser Al Wasmi
Turning a new leaf: As part of The National’s Earth Matters coverage, we look at some potential New Year’s resolutions for the UAE to help the environment, in a series examining meat consumption, water conservation, food waste and driving habits.
ABU DHABI // In a car-centric country with sweltering summers, encouraging people to switch to public transport might be inconvenient at the moment but experts say much can be done about the way we drive that can reduce our individual emissions.
Until public transportation has developed to the point of making commutes more convenient than driving, UAE residents need to look for other ways to reduce their driving carbon footprint.
According to Simon Labbett, project director at Sheida, an Omani road safety body, there are ways to lower emissions simply by driving with fuel economy in mind, rather than speed.
Mr Labbett suggests that driving techniques such as avoiding harsh acceleration, using lower revs and looking ahead to manage driving by anticipation can lower your carbon emissions.
"For example, don’t keep accelerating into a hazard when, with a little more thought and planning, you could have eased off and still arrived at the same point without any loss of journey time," he said.
