Poor driving habits 'raise fuel costs beyond oil industry average'

Bad driving habits in the professional sector could be raising the real-terms cost of fuel beyond that enforced by the oil industry, according to Swinton Commercial.

The organisation explains that overloading vans and driving with tyres at the wrong pressure can add an extra percentage to each gallon of petrol or diesel used.

Having the wrong amount of air in the tyres of a medium to heavy goods vehicle can increase its refuelling costs by three per cent, the insurer says.

Meanwhile, overloading the vehicle could also prove to be false economy, increasing the amount of petrol burned while also risking a blow-out.

"By making sure that tyres are inflated to the correct level for the load being carried, any additional expense can be minimised, as well as improving vehicle safety," says commercial vehicle manager Phil Moss.

Individual driver characteristics may also affect fuel economy, altering the real-terms cost per mile from the oil industry's average charges, as Swinton Commercial notes a greater number of women and culturally active motorists in general are taking to the wheels of goods vehicles across the UK.