Half of Auckland drivers wasting fuel

EECA staff checking the tyre pressure at a service station in Auckland today found that around half the cars checked had tyres at the wrong pressure.

Just under a hundred cars were checked at the Z Greenlane service station this morning as part of an ENERGYWISE promotion to encourage drivers to keep their tyres pumped up to save fuel and be safe on the roads.  Of those, 48 needed to have their tyres inflated to the correct pressure.

"We encountered some vehicles with significantly underinflated tyres - as little as a third of what they should be.  This not only wastes fuel but is an increased safety risk," EECA Transport Partnerships Manager Liz Yeaman said.

EECA estimates that drivers can save as much as 16 cents per litre of petrol by making sure tyres are correctly inflated.

Some of the worst offenders were company cars and vans, Liz Yeaman said.

"This waste of fuel is coming straight off the bottom line of the company's profits."

"Incorrectly inflated tyres also increase wear.  We found one driver with expensive tyres had one inflated to 79 psi and one at 14 psi, when they should have both been 32 psi."

It is important to check tyre pressure before heading off on holiday, Ms Yeaman said.

"Another thing we found today is that many people are unaware of where to find their car's correct tyre pressure recorded.  This is usually on the pillar of the car door on the driver's side, on the fuel cap or in the car manual."

More information is available on the ENERGYWISE website www.energywise.govt.nz

Photos from the event are available from EECA on request.