Tips for a safer road trip this Easter

Tips for a safer road trip this Easter

With only half of the cars on the road this long weekend likely to have had their tyre pressure checked recently*, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is encouraging motorists to save fuel and be safer on the road by filling their tyres when they fill up with petrol.
EECA General Manager Transport Liz Yeaman says underinflated tyres make a car more difficult to handle and have an impact on cornering and braking.

“The extra energy required to turn the wheels is like trying to push a wheelbarrow with a flat tyre – it takes a lot more effort – and means your car consumes around 4% more petrol (equivalent to 8 cents per litre).”

“Modern tyre design means you can’t visually see if your tyres are underinflated (unless they are really flat). Tyre pressure isn’t something normally checked during a car’s warrant so, unless your car has recently been serviced, no one will have checked the tyres.”

“If a car is loaded up with people and luggage for the Easter holidays, tyres will need a bit more air than usual. As a rule of thumb, setting the pressure to 4psi more than usual will be sufficient for the extra load.”

If motorists don’t know the correct tyre pressure for their car, they can find it at www.energywise.govt.nz/tools/tyre-pressure

EECA’s top six driving tips for road trips

• Don’t speed - keeping at or under the speed limit is safer and will save you fuel.

• Look ahead – anticipate traffic so you can slow down early and maintain a safe following distance.

• Corner smoothly - don't brake hard for corners and accelerate out of them. Instead, slow down gently, negotiate and exit corners on a light throttle.

• Stay cool - air conditioning and open window drag can add up to 10% to your fuel bill. If it’s hot, use air conditioning and close the windows when you’re on the highway or travelling over 50 kph, and open windows and turn off the air conditioning when driving below 50 kph.

• Don’t idle - turn your car off if it’s safe to do so and you're going to stop for more than 30 seconds, and plan your journey to avoid driving in peak traffic when you can.

• Check tyres - add an extra 4 psi to tyre pressure if your car is loaded up for the holidays, check tyre tread is at least 2mm (the base of the number 20 on a 20 cent coin is approximately 2mm from the edge of the coin, so if you can see the whole of the number, it’s time to replace your tyres).

*EECA Consumer Monitor conducted by Ipsos, Oct-Dec 2014, 42% of respondents said they checked their tyres in the last month

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