Avoid skyrocketing petrol prices
Blog by: Cathy Adams on Jun 6th, 2011
Slowly but surely, the price of petrol is creeping towards the 130p mark, and there’s really nothing we can do to stop it. Put in context, for a family car, that’s £70 to fill up the tank – a staggering investment.
The winds of turbulence have been blowing around the price of petrol for a while now. The Conservative pledge of a fuel duty stabilizer, which would cut the tax on fuel as the oil prices rise, has so far failed to materialize (but I’m hopeful).
But what we can do to stop having to dig so deep into our battered wallets?
I’m a regular driver, and rely on my car to visit friends and family at the weekend. While I’m stringent with the petrol, and always take care to share my journeys with others to cut the cost of the fuel, a journalist’s wage can only go so far and I usually end up spending about £25 a week on fuel.
The AA has launched an eco-driving project to help drivers reduce their fuel consumption by up to a third. It has come up with a few simple steps that I’ve been trying to follow this week – I’ve highlighted the most useful.
Lose weight from the car. Unfortunately, like most other women, I like to carry my life around in my bag, and this extends to my car as well. The boot is a dizzying array of ‘just in case’ items such as extra blanket, pair of trainers and a family size bottle of water. While it might be advisable to carry a spade in your boot in case of snow – your petrol bills will skyrocket. Lose weight, gain the right kind of pounds.
Don’t get lost. I’ve rigorously mapped out my route so I don’t end up wasting petrol circling around residential streets.
Consider alternatives. Not that cycling around the M25 from Essex to Surrey is really an option, but you get the idea.
Easy does it. I’m typically an erratic driver, starting and stopping every two minutes. The AA advise driving smoothly, accelerating gently and “reading the road ahead to avoid unnecessary braking”.
Stick to the speed limit. My least favourite piece of eco-advice, but it does work. According to the Department of Transport, driving at 70mph uses up to 15% more fuel than at 50mph – proof that paying attention to the limits really is a smart move.
Failing that, website petrolprices.com lists the cheapest petrol in your area – just plug in your postcode to start saving.
Isn't it strange? Some time ago the transport industry got all hot under the collar when fuel prices rose. This time they are far in excess of last time and yet they remain silent. Why? Also, the silence of those two great organisations who allege to have the motorists interests at heart is noticeable.....why? We need some tuition from the French!
The problem with avoiding short journeys is that in my case ,they simply cannot avoided . I own a Toyota Yaris auto 1.3 . The auto is because both my wifes knees are wearing out , so this option is neessary .Also my wifes friends are not on a bus route in the evening with the bus times restricted .My car is seviced according to the book , tyre pressure checked weekly .
The most miles I do in one journey is 8 miles , not an economical milage . We are both over 70 years old , so walking is not an option much of the time .
So other than getting rid of the car , what is our solution ?
Reagards Vic Vogl
The title of this is 'Avoid skyrocketing petrol prices'.
Only the last point does this. The rest is just a repeat of the previous article on good driving practice which I have just read!
The advice is mainly excellant except in my 3.2 litre Jaguar the on board computer tells me that at a constant 85 I can get 32 mpg whereas at 70 I can only get 26!
I do not know how accurate this is but if it is anything like accurate there is a big saving.
Another website also tells me that ACPO ( the Chief Police officers club) have advised their staff not to prosecute purely for speeding unless you are doing over 96!
Force petrol prices down! The two biggest retailers of petrol are Esso and BP (which are now one company).
Boycott these two garages, and when their revenues start to drop they will cut their prices to try to win back their lost customers.
If everyone gave Esso and BP a wide berth, it wouldn't take long to make them cut their prices and start a price war with their competitors, benefitting us, the customers.
Er... So why are prices going up? Couldn't possibly be anything to do with increasing scarcity and difficulty of extracting the crude stuff?
The effort the guest advocating a boycott of Esso/BP proposes would be better spent helping the people who really need some personal transport, like Vic and his wife. They may need a car but they could also have access to dial a ride, taxis, and of course better public transport. That would benefit us all.
If it's OK to work together to try to make the market bring us temporarily and artificially lower prices (e.g. by boycotting Esso/BP) wouldn't it be a more efficient use of our precious collective effort to work together to try to make more long term transport solutions, not short term gains which just postpone the enormous changes we're going to have make to transport and a whole lot more as resources run out.
Happy travelling.
What does petrol cost in neighbouring European countries like France and Germany? I can't find up to date prices on the net. Just not tech savvy.