Independent traders and fleet drivers could slash their annual fuel bills and reduce wear on tyres by making small changes to their driving behaviour, according to road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.
The data, gathered from 4,500 participants on the charity’s ‘Driving for Work’ training courses, shows that a single van driver could save £539 on fuel and up to £144 on tyre replacement costs per year by adopting ‘eco-driving’ techniques.
These savings were in addition to a reduction of 0.69 tonnes of CO₂ emissions – equivalent to the emissions produced when driving around the entire coastline of Britain.
Eco-driving, which focuses on fuel-efficient driving practices, encourages smooth acceleration, consistent speeds, gentle braking, and efficient gear changes.
As well as offering significant environmental and financial benefits, the approach can also improve road safety and reduce stress behind the wheel.
Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and standards at IAM RoadSmart, said: “Driving aggressively is one of the most pointless things someone can do.
“It’s dangerous, stresses out the person doing it, angers other road users, costs you more money and will not get you where you want to be any more quickly.
“In a nutshell, you are burning money, creating more emissions and risking a crash for absolutely no benefit.”
He added: “The data from our Driving for Work course shows that those companies not taking fleet training seriously are essentially pouring money down the drain by letting negative driver behaviours go unaddressed.”
The findings were backed by broader research from IAM RoadSmart which found that van drivers, especially those in unbranded or white vans, are often perceived as the most aggressive road users.
Out of more than 2,000 motorists surveyed, half said they believed white van drivers were the most likely to engage in behaviours such as tailgating, ignoring road signs and traffic lights, or parking inconsiderately.
With work journeys accounting for nearly one in three road deaths in the UK, IAM RoadSmart urged both independent tradespeople and larger fleet operators to take driver training seriously.
Company drivers were estimated to incur 1.3 million penalties annually, costing nearly £100m.
The charity’s training courses not only help tackle perceptions of aggression on the road but also offer tangible savings through better fuel efficiency and reduced maintenance.
IAM RoadSmart said that better training can lead to safer roads, lower emissions and improved public perception of van drivers—dispelling outdated stereotypes of the ‘white van man’.
Lyes concluded: “For independent traders, this is a chance to not only reduce costs and carbon output but to demonstrate professionalism and dispel the perception that they are more aggressive than other road users.”
