Lexus : The hybrid debate blog : Blogs > Families & Lifestyle > Why our driving behaviour has to change

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Why our driving behaviour has to change by Joanna Yarrow
Families & Lifestyle | 3:38 p.m. | Thu 18 Oct 2007
If the future for hybrid cars is to be bright, our driving behaviour, and society’s attitude to the car in general, must change dramatically.

One way in which car manufacturers could help to initiate this shift is by alerting drivers more effectively to the environmental impact of their journeys. They could, for example, draw inspiration from the The Owl (formerly known as Electrisave), a pocket-sized meter that alerts people to the total amount of energy being used by their appliances at home. The Electrisave has proven very effective at persuading users to reduce their energy consumption – in some cases by 25% – simply through greater awareness of wastage.

It is easy to imagine how similar, user-friendly indicators of power consumption, associated emissions and price could help drivers to understand the impact of each journey they make, and to modify their driving accordingly. That extra trip to the corner shop each day could produce pangs of guilt once you see what it’s costing you and the environment.
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