It may seem petty compared to the usual safety issues published but everyday I see people wasting money through their driving habits. The figures quoted are purely for illustrative purposes as I am not an expert on mechanical wear. The next time you are sitting at a robot, or in traffic, on a road with an incline take note of how few people use their hand or foot brakes. Many choose to hold their position by riding the clutch.
Undoubtedly this will use more fuel and, on the other hand, their clutches are working much harder than they need to. Normal departure from a standstill should apply at three seconds of friction and subsequent gear changes at 1.5 seconds of friction on the clutch assembly. Individual travel needs will vary the necessary clutch usage greatly, but consider a vehicle held on an incline using the clutch for 20 to 30 seconds and you can appreciate the added wear and tear.
I recently replaced the clutch on my 24-year-old car; this at a cost of R1 700. I should imagine newer cars command a much higher component replacement cost in this regard. So our driving habits could help save the planet in terms of fewer resources being used for the manufacture of this component, as well as a smaller carbon emissions’ footprint for each of us through less fuel usage - but more directly appealing to all should be that our driving habits can save the thinning of our wallets at often (financially) inconvenient times.
P.S. Can you imagine the costs incurred by transport operators when their heavy duty drivers hold 30 tonnes on an incline in the same manner. But that’s another topic altogether…
