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
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).
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