Slow down a bit and you save a lot

One of New Zealand's main driver training programmes, the Ford Advanced Drivers' School, has urged drivers to slow down to save money.

"As petrol prices continue to increase, we are finding participants on our courses are increasingly interested in how the safe driving techniques we teach not only prevent accidents but save money at the pump," said John Brown, the school's managing director.

Ford of Germany has put more than 8000 Germans through its eco-driving programme and has found that maintaining a steady speed, accelerating and decelerating smoothly, and avoiding weaving in and out of traffic and accelerating between lights can cut fuel consumption by a quarter.

Brown says the school also coaches drivers in key defensive principles, including emergency braking techniques, avoiding skids, cornering skills, and the effect on a car's performance of tyre and vehicle maintenance.

"We have trained 35,000 people over the past 19 years, and train more than 3000 drivers annually," Brown said. "Motorists only have one chance to react when put in a potential accident situation.

"It is important that people learn what to do and how to do it to and give themselves an increased chance of accident avoidance."