Drivers cut speed to slash fuel bills

By Julie Sinclair

10th August 2008

Motorists are officially driving slower. But it’s not speed cameras that are keeping them in check – it’s soaring fuel prices!

Drivers can gain an extra 3mpg, saving up to six pence per litre at the pumps, by adopting a slower, less erratic style, according to the experts at the AA Motoring Trust. And the group claims thrifty motorists have been noticeably easing off the gas as a result.

“Our breakdown patrols say it’s becoming increasingly common to see convoys of cars sticking to a self-enforced limit of around 55mph on the inside lane of the motorway,” explained a spokesman. But the UK’s bloated network of speed traps can’t take the credit for the go-slow. While the latest Government figures reveal a fractional drop in speeds over the past decade, it has only been noticeable in recent months, says the Trust – which makes record pump prices the most likely explanation.

“For most motorists – particularly families on a budget – fuel has become a much more convincing argument to slow down than the threat of a speed camera,” the spokesman continued.

It’s not the only way motorists are beating pump prices, though. Nearly 15,000 drivers signed up to online car pool club Liftshare.com in June – twice the rate of the previous month and up nearly four times on the start of the year.

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