Eco-driving: Are ‘green’ driving lessons the way to go?

Are green or eco-driving lessons the way of the future? Road transportation accounts for around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union, according to the European Commission. Can drivers adopt new driving behaviours to use less fuel? And can training people in the laboratory actually translate to greener driving behavior on the road?

A new study shows that a simple behavioural intervention for bus drivers may go a long way towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Working with Pirita Niemi of the Työtehoseura organization in Finland, psychological scientists Mark J.M. Sullman and Lisa Dorn of Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, designed a field experiment to see if eco-driving in the lab could lead to lasting behaviour changes on the road.

Professional bus drivers were trained in the lab on how to use more fuel-efficient driving strategies. Study participants comprised professional bus drivers recruited from different private transportation companies based in Helsinki. One group of 18 bus drivers served as a control group; in the lab they completed an all-day training session on first-aid. The 29 bus drivers in the treatment group received an all-day training on fuel efficiency techniques. The drivers in this group tried out their eco-driving skills in a life-like bus driving simulator before and after their training.

The bus driving simulator routes were based upon real routes and conditions within the Helsinki area. A number of performance measures were taken during the drive, such as fuel consumption, distance driven, and time taken to complete the drive. As part of their training, the drivers in the treatment group were taught five practical “golden rules” of fuel efficiency, ranging from maintaining a steady speed to regularly checking tyre pressure. Each individual bus driver received individualized coaching on putting these principles into practice while driving with an instructor in the bus simulator.

Six months later, the researchers checked on the bus drivers’ fuel efficiency on the job. To see if the training had a lasting influence on behavior, the researchers obtained data on fuel usage and emissions from participants six months after the training session.

The results showed that even long after the initial training, bus drivers in the eco-driving training were using significantly less fuel compared to the control group: Six months after the training, those in the treatment group were 17% more fuel efficient than they were at baseline.

“Bus drivers who were trained in eco-driving techniques improved their average fuel economy on the simulator immediately after the training, while those in the control group did not,” the researchers said. “More importantly these techniques were also implemented in the workplace, with an 11.6% improvement in fuel economy immediately following the training and this was further increased to 16.9% after six months.”

“This study shows that simulator-based training in eco-driving techniques has the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the road transport sector,” the researchers concluded.

“This study concentrated on training the drivers to drive in an economical fashion, but no attempt was made to change the driver’s attitudes towards eco-driving or their intentions to engage in eco-driving,” the researchers explained. It’s possible, the researchers argued, that including additional behavioural interventions—like describing positive social norms—in future trainings could boost fuel efficiency even more.

“If this level of improvement could be made throughout the European Union (EU) road transport sector it would greatly contribute to the EU meeting its environmental goals,” the researchers concluded. “Furthermore, this research also demonstrated that training drivers in eco-driving has the potential to greatly reduce fuel-related costs for transport companies.”

Reference

Sullman, M. J., Dorn, L., & Niemi, P. (2015). Eco-driving training of professional bus drivers–Does it work?. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 58, 749-759. doi:10.1016/j.trc.2015.04.010

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/motr/why-driving-lessons-should-go-green.html#.WRVWDRhh2u4

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).