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My route is in a high-traffic region, so I can’t help but produce high idle times.
While you can’t help but produce higher idle times than other drivers in lower-traffic regions, you can still manage your idle times and drive as efficiently as possible.
We have analyzed and compared several different routes in high-traffic situations. The average driver may result in 22% idle and insist they are doing their best. We placed a driver that has a reputation for lower idle in that same route, and they showed results of only 16% idle.
As we’ve analyzed different regions and similar high-traffic conditions, we found a difference of anywhere from 3% to 10% based on the route, with average improvements of 5% to 7%.
How do they do it? Through managing and anticipating the traffic patterns, the higher idle drivers tend to accelerate leading up to a stoplight until they need to brake. The lower idle drivers tend to prepare ahead and decelerate while coasting to the light, which may turn green; these drivers usually avoid idle altogether. The same management applies in heavy highway traffic. Speed up and stop in bumper-to-bumper traffic, or just coast? Slight driving improvements make all the difference in increasing your fuel economy.
