CBI demands fuel-efficient driving test

The CBI has today called for energy-efficient driving to become a mandatory part of driving tests as part of a new report that urges the government to better incentivise motorists and households to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The eight-page report, entitled Tackling Climate Change Closer to Home, was launched alongside an accompanying interactive website featuring a series of recommendations designed to accelerate the development of green homes and vehicles, and make it easier for businesses to help their staff cut carbon emissions.

Dr Neil Bentley, CBI director of business environment, said that incorporating green driving techniques in the driving test represented one of the quickest and simplest ways to help cut carbon emissions from transport.

"More than a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gases come from personal transport, half of which are from cars," he said. "Making small changes to the way we all drive will reduce carbon emissions and could save motorists up to £250 a year."

A spokesman for the Driving Standards Agency told BusinessGreen.com that there were no plans to make fuel-efficient driving a pass-fail element of the test, although he said drivers did already receive advice at the end of the test on how efficient their driving was.

However, Bentley said that making energy-efficient driving techniques a mandatory part of the test would "make a significant contribution to changing the next generation of motorists' behavior and cutting transport emissions".

The report also called on the government to better incentivise green vehicles and domestic technologies. In particular, it recommended the government ring fence revenue raised from taxation on high emissions vehicles to incentivise more efficient alternatives, accelerate the planned roll out of domestic smart meters, and extend the current boiler scrappage scheme to cover inefficient white goods.

It also called for reforms to the tax system that would allow councils to offer rebates to households that improve their energy efficiency and offer tax breaks to businesses that provide staff with green perks such as part-subsidised insulation.

"The government needs to take action now to incentivise consumers to make energy-efficient choices and ensure it provides the right framework to spur on businesses to develop exciting new products and services," Bentley said.