Do you get there any more quickly? Probably not. But you arrive more stressed, you've put stress on your car and its tyres, and maybe on fellow road users.
A recent event with Continental Tyres at the UK's MIRA automotive proving ground had as a component a session on 'Eco' driving. On a mile-and-a-half circuit that included hairpins, slaloms and a couple of tricky wind-up bends we were encouraged to push on, and then to repeat the process using a more careful manner of driving.
This meant basically that we accelerated with less punch, looked ahead at the road and planned more gradual entry and exits from the bends, and generally let the car do the driving.
Less stress all around. My performance first time turned in just 24.3mpg and a lap speed of 38mph. Second time out I achieved 41.5mpg and got around at 34mph. Big difference in fuel consumption and a fairly marginal difference in speed which would probably have been completely matched up over a longer journey.
Moral? Don't rush as much as you think you need. You'll get there just as quickly, save a significant tank of fuel, and possibly add a few years to the other end of your life.
Thanks for the reminder, Conti.
