8 STUPID things Indian drivers believe about fuel efficiency

It’s no secret that many Indian car drivers manage to get a driving license without taking proper training. Mostly, such drivers learn driving from other members of their family and end up repeating the mistakes of their teachers. It’s not uncommon to see people honking unnecessarily or resting their foot on the clutch pedal all the time. It really won’t be wrong to say that many Indian drivers have some really stupid habits when it comes to driving a car.

Ford Motor Company carried out a survey that covered 9,500 drivers in 11 countries of the Asia Pacific region. Out of these, 1,023 were Indian respondents. Based on the findings of this survey, here are 8 STUPID things Indian drivers believe about fuel efficiency –

1. Harsh acceleration doesn’t have an effect on fuel efficiency – This is something that as many as 40% of Indian drivers believe in. Many of us aren’t aware that harsh acceleration or unnecessary revving the engine has an adverse effect on the car’s mileage.

2. Keeping the engine on while idling doesn’t affect the fuel efficiency- It has come to light that a whopping 26% of Indian drivers believe that keeping the engine on idle is as good as turning it off. However, in reality, turning the engine off saves more fuel than keeping it on idle for anything more than 15 seconds.

3. Cruise control has nothing to do with fuel efficiency- This is something that 78% of Indian drivers believe in. Cruise control is a tool by which you can maintain a constant speed, which means that the engine doesn’t waste any fuel efficiency via unnecessary acceleration.

4. Only 27% of drivers know how to check GPS – It’s always a good practice to check GPS before leaving home. Through GPS, you can plan alternative routes to escape traffic. Getting stuck in traffic or moving at a snail’s pace is a sure shot way to waste a lot of fuel. Hence, it’s best to check GPS before heading out and plan the route accordingly.

5. 52% of drivers didn’t know that driving on mountain roads can affect fuel efficiency- Mountain roads, which comprise mainly of uphill and downhill sections, has a direct effect on the car’s fuel efficiency. This leads to a higher consumption than what the car would have consumed on the plains.

6. 73% people were unaware that cold weather affects the mileage of the vehicle, while 63% did not know that hot weather can play a role in fuel efficiency – Every engine has an optimum temperature at which it can perform its best. During winters, an engine takes more time to reach this temperature, which, in turn, reduces the mileage. On the other hand, in summer, car users tend to use the air conditioning, which in turn, reduces the fuel efficiency.

Also, driving at high speeds leads to higher wind resistance, which lowers the fuel efficiency. That said, the wind resistance can be minimized through rolling up the windows and using the AC to maintain a favourable cabin temperature. At low speeds, however, if possible, switch off the AC and roll down the windows to aid fuel efficiency.

7. 65% of drivers did not know that removing heavy items from the car make it more fuel efficient- Higher the weight your car has to carry, lower the mileage it will offer. Hence, it’s best to remove unnecessary objects from the car. A lower weight will help you extract a higher mileage.

8. Only 33% of drivers are aware of the fact that regular servicing can help in saving more fuel- While it’s obvious that regular servicing is an easy way to ensure that your car remains in good health, only about one-third of all car owners adhere to this practice. Regularly servicing a car can reduce the wear and tear of many parts and ensure that high mileage is delivered.