From the Glovebox to the Garbage Bin
Dear Mr Evans,
I am writing to let you know how disappointed I was when I received the NRMA’s
Glovebox Guide on Saving Petrol.
For a start, I noted that only 6 of the 10 tips are about saving petrol. The other 4 are primarily tips for Sydneysiders on how to save money when buying fuel – a completely different thing.
I believe the NRMA is missing the opportunity, provided by rising fuel costs, to assist members to re-evaluate our car use and choice of car. Here are some tips that should have been included:
- Share a trip – car-pooling reduces fuel and road congestion (this is a better tip than shopping around looking for cheap fuel)
- Catch public transport (where it exists) – the journey is as important as the destination.
- Walk more – it is good for your health. In fact, walking to your local shops is a better option than taking advantage of the fuel discount schemes offered by the major supermarkets (because it is part of their marketing campaign to destroy corner stores).
- Make sure you consider fuel efficiency when buying your next car.
I am sure John Taylor, whose Peugeot averaged 3.46L/100km
on his transcontinental trip (reported in the latest Open Road on p.28),
would have some other useful
tips. The fuel economy he obtained is what all car manufacturers and car
owners should be aspiring to. But the article in the Open Road is too short
to be
of value in telling us how to do it!
There is also little scope for comparison
between cars based on the information the Open Road publishes in relation
to the NRMA road test reports. These
don’t
even give a ballpark figure for fuel consumption. For example, in the latest
issue of Open Road, we are told that the new VW Gold Gti delivers 'good
fuel economy' – and perhaps it does when compared to a Falcon
or Commodore – but how does it compare to others in the same class?
I personally would like to see greater accountability by car manufacturers
for selling us cars that are gas-guzzlers. The Australian-made cars in
particular are an embarrassment here.
I recommend that the NRMA spends its lobbying funds on trying to get Australian
manufacturers to make fuel efficient models in the future. This should
involve, for example, direct lobbying of the manufacturers (putting them
on notice)
and greater weighting of the fuel economy criterion when judging the best
family car of the year. These efforts would be a better investment than
that Glovebox
Guide that I’ve already discarded!
Yours sincerely,
A country member