The best thing to do is to walk. Stop laughing, you know it's true. It's also unrealistic. So the next best thing to do is to drive wisely. Try not to use the car for short distances or plan errands to include as many at one time in the same area as possible.

Also, when you drive try to use your car and the laws of motion to your advantage. You say you have never studied law? You don't have to. You simply have to remember that the car will naturally slow down over a distance. If you lift your foot off the accelerator and allow the car to coast to stop signs and corners it will save petrol and money. The same holds true in reverse. If you accelerate slowly and smoothly, you use less petrol. Just think about all those macho burn outs the boys did in high school and how much the rubber and petrol smells hung in the air afterward. Or, simply think about the show-offs last weekend.

Learn to shift as smoothly as you can. Jack-rabbitting, or the jerky hopping, when you stop, start or switch gears is hard on your transmission as well as your petrol consumption. This also applies to up-shifting when you are trying to overtake a vehicle. If you have to push the accelerator to the mat to pass, you pay in petrol for the few moments of time you may save.

You should also switch off your vehicle whenever you have to stand in one place for even a short time. Idling for more than a minute uses more petrol than it takes to restart the car. It also reduces the amount of pollutants you put into the air. The same goes for the use of your air conditioner. Use it when necessary not from habit. If you can, open the rear windows and use natural ventilation. When you can't, or if the temperature is simply too great, use it as low as possible. It uses more petrol to operate the air conditioner. Try going a day or a fill and check the extra petrol you have left in your tank.

Speaking of polluting the air, you should also have your vehicle serviced regularly. Don't wait for a problem to occur. Be pr-active. Schedule regular oil changes and motor tune-ups with your service centre. Treat them like a visit to the salon. You wouldn't cancel your weekly nail appointment or your monthly hair appointment. You want to look and feel good. Treat your car the same way. The more regularly it is serviced, the better it runs, the better it runs the less it pollutes and the longer it lasts.

How long is longer? The older the vehicle the more pollution it can create. The standards are much higher now than they used to be so older vehicles generally have higher pollution emissions and fuel consumption rates. A good guide is to be aware if your car is using more petrol than it used to or if it is beginning to cost more in repairs. It probably needs to be replaced.

You may shudder, but it's true. Your baby may need to be exchanged for a newer model. Even if your vehicle is not that old, you may want to consider trading in for a smaller or more fuel efficient model or make. Fuel savings can make up for the cost of a newer, smaller more efficient vehicle.

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