Minister of State for Transport John Hayes has taken eco-driving lessons to see if he could become as efficient as the country’s most accomplished eco-drivers currently participating in the 2016 MPG Marathon.

Minister of State for Transport John Hayes managed to improve his fuel economy 12% thanks to eco-driving lessons

After a lesson from one of the Energy Saving Trust’s expert driver trainers in a MPG Marathon Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, Mr Hayes managed to improve his overall fuel economy by 12%, proving that with a few useful tips and small changes to driving style it is possible to make impressive savings on fuel use.

Mr Hayes said: “I think it is essential to encourage businesses and the public people to realise that they can save a lot of money by driver training, and get the beneficial effects on emissions, comfort and safety too.

“From this training, I’ve discovered first hand it really is possible to make dramatic changes in fuel economy with the adoption of some relatively simple practices. Anticipating the road ahead, driving smoothly and using the natural momentum of the car, rather than accelerating and braking harshly are essential to driving more economically.

“Promotion of this is important, and the Government is very keen to push harder on this.”

Under the Energy Saving Trust’s Ecodriving scheme, subsidised training of £25 per person up to a maximum of eight drivers trained per day is available for organisations directly from the approved training companies and independent trainers.

Steve Moody, publisher at Fleet World, which organises the MPG Marathon, added: “Mr Hayes has demonstrated that no matter how good a driver you are, there’s always room for improvement, and using trainers can reap huge dividends.

“If every driver could achieve a 12% improvement in fuel economy as Mr Hayes managed, it would equate to hundreds of pounds saved a year. For a business, extrapolated across all its drivers, that could mean thousands of pounds saved, while the improvements in technique training brings should result in safer driving, lower emissions, better air quality for all, and less wear and tear on the vehicle.”

Tim Anderson, senior knowledge manager (transport) at the Energy Saving Trust, said: “The Trust has promoted fuel efficient driving for the past decade and in that time has provided training to over 50,000 individual drivers across more than 500 organisations.

“We are glad to have been able to work with Fleet World and the MPG Marathon to provide a training session to John Hayes MP, Transport Minister, along with other members of DfT staff to demonstrate the quality and format of our approved training scheme. The MPG Marathon exemplifies what is possible through ecodriving techniques and what role the driver has in achieving the best fuel economy possible from the vehicle.”

To find out more about the EST driver training, visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk or to follow the MPG Marathon live, go to www.thempgmarathon.co.uk