It’s already known that being light on the pedal and having smoother, consistent driving habits will eke out more kilometres on a tank of fuel, but just how much does it work out in terms of savings? Well, up to RM204 a month, says Malaysian Road Safety Research Institute (MIROS).
According to the government institute, motorists who adopt fuel-efficient driving habits can save up to that much on fuel costs. Its director-general, Siti Zaharah Ishak, said that level of savings applied to those using unsubsidised RON 95 and travelling between 1,000 km and 2,000 km a month, with eco-driving resulting in savings of between RM26 to RM204 a month.
She said that for motorists using subsidised RON 95 petrol at RM1.99 per litre, adopting a fuel-efficient driving apporach can reduce fuel costs by RM13 to RM105 a month, as the New Straits Times reports. “This estimation is based on an assumed fuel consumption of 6.6 litres per 100 km, which is typical for light passenger vehicles or compact petrol sedans. This includes models like the Proton Saga or other common passenger cars with similar fuel consumption rates,” she said.
Fuel-efficient driving, or eco-driving, refers to energy-efficient driving habits that are prudent, calm, and consistent, as opposed to aggressive driving behaviour where rapid acceleration, late braking, frequent speed changes and leaving the engine idling while stationary are common practice.
Siti Zaharah said the issue had become increasingly relevant given rising fuel costs brought about by the Middle East conflict. She said a study by the United States department of energy (DOE) showed that aggressive driving, including speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking reduces fuel efficiency by 15 to 30% at highway speeds, and that same behaviour resulted in 10 to 40% lower fuel efficiency in stop-and-go traffic.
She said that reducing speed helps cut fuel consumption, especially on highways. “If considered on its own, lowering speed by eight to 16 km per hour can provide an estimated fuel savings of seven to 14%. However, this depends on the vehicle type, initial speed, road conditions, and individual driving patterns,” she explained.
She added that besides saving fuel, eco-driving aids road safety. “Lower speeds also give drivers more time to react to emergencies and reduce the severity of injuries if an accident occurs. Therefore, eco-driving not only cuts fuel costs, but also fosters a safer and more responsible driving culture,” she said.
Siti Zaharah said that eco-driving wasn’t just applicable for internal combustion engine vehicles but electric vehicles as well, with battery usage also impacted by driving behaviour patterms and speed consistency. She said findings by the United States environmental protection agency (EPA) showed that eco-driving remained important even though EVs do not use fossil fuel.
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Kepla hotak! Unsubsidized Petrol all time high at RM 4.02! Rakyat asing all suffering!
Fake promise from this fake Gomen
nope, those rakyat asing have blue ic one, project ic by tun m in sabah remember?
so troublesome.. take grab la.. dont drive… for that rm200
Best way to eliminate fuel wasting habits are to cut subsidy to cars entirely and force all motorcycles to go electric. Whatever advises are just wind in the ears with RM1.99. Worst still protectionism is not helping when we are still being used as dumping grounds for technology. Efficient petrol or hybrids, we don’t get the latest. Electric, soon to be gone.
Yes it could help.
If electric bike lanes are introduced.
The road could be safer and quieter before 2030.
Lol, you expect us to turn off engine when idling in this weather, with your shit tint rules that only allow toilet paper level 70% VLT in the front? Kindly go f#&k yourself with a serrated dildo, Puan Siti.
Loke should introduced no limit 99% tint for front windscreen to avoid peeping tom to look inside other vehicles. It makes rempits hard to determine whether there are valuables hidden around the rear seats, deterring break-ins.
baik nasihat naik basikal j. upgrade ofis tambah shower. dh peluh2, smpi tmpt kerja, mandi dlu.
Where got any B40 M40 or T20 care? Masa cuti sekolah or hari minggu, N/S Highway jammed to the max with these pipul and cars, travelling balik kampong or saja makan angin. Later cry mather fadder to gomen saying RM200 tak cukup! Stay home and save money is alien to them. Most T15s and above take flights anyway to avoid congestions on roads, planning wisely and only travelling once a while, not every long holiday or long weekends!
what about those fucking mat rempits revving their cheap bikes for no reasons ya?