Fuel-efficient driving has a negative impact on the roads in the Ebersberg district.
The EZ reporter made this experience in a self-experiment.
District
– The gas prices are over two euros.
The country is in an energy crisis.
The tank discount expired at the end of August.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) calls for savings.
The ADAC knows how to save up to 20 percent fuel when driving.
A tip: "Optimize your driving style." Nothing easier than that, I think.
It is well known that a car uses less fuel if you drive it more slowly.
I'm doing a self-experiment in which I want to try to be as fuel-efficient as possible with my car in the Ebersberg district.
It will be a trip with interesting insights.
High petrol prices: save fuel when driving a car - 80 km/h top speed
First fill up my car.
The plan: to accelerate as little as possible.
I set a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour for country roads.
I want to avoid acceleration as much as possible.
Means: I want to let the car roll.
I also plan to take my foot off the accelerator far before towns, in order to bring the car more or less by itself to the top speed of 50 km/h stipulated in the town.
Without having to brake.
Quite quickly, after leaving the gas station, a small line of cars forms behind me.
My driving style does not seem to be the norm.
I'm on the B 304 between Tulling and Steinhöring. There are three or four cars.
My rear man pulls up close.
Its headlights dazzle in the rear-view mirror.
One has the impression that he is in a hurry.
Even before Steinhöring: a sudden overtaking manoeuvre.
When the car is in front of me, it moves away quickly.
I consistently drive 80 km/h.
Save fuel: queues of cars behind me - and daring overtaking
A few hundred meters before the town sign of Steinhöring, I ease off the gas and let the car coast.
The queue behind me now consists of six vehicles.
When I leave the place again, I only accelerate gently.
It takes a while until I reach my 80 km/h again.
The next vehicle overtakes me at the town sign.
It is a small gray car with Ebersberger license plates.
I spot a young man at the wheel.
This car is also quickly out of my sight after overtaking.
A few hundred meters further I am daringly overtaken by a black sports car.
A truck is approaching. It just about makes it.
As soon as he is back in the right lane, the truck passes.
Self-experiment to save fuel: flashing headlights, jostling, insults - strategy is not well received
Well done again I think.
Dangerous situation.
In the next few kilometers I will experience such maneuvers several times.
Flashing headlights, tailgating, drivers driving close together.
Even: I experience wildly gesticulating insults.
Even the postbus overtakes me.
One gets the impression that hardly anyone thinks about driving in a fuel-efficient manner.
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Needed thanks to economical driving 4.7 instead of 6 liters per 100 kilometers: EZ author Peter Kees.
© Andrea Tretner
On the route through the Ebersberg forest, three vehicles boldly overtake me, although a truck is driving about 200 meters in front of me, so you have to brake again anyway.
The solid line in the middle of the lane does not interest any of the three drivers.
He actually means: No overtaking.
A few minutes later, a large, dark car is almost sitting on my bumper.
Rosenheim license plate.
A young woman at the wheel.
The route is curvy.
You can only see oncoming traffic for a very short distance.
The woman overtakes anyway.
She drives past me at high speed and is lucky that no vehicle thunders at her around the next bend.
There is no sign of the expensive fuel crisis on the road
As I leave the forest, the classic image behind me: car to car.
Later, on the Autobahn towards Munich, it doesn't take long for the first truck to overtake me.
I also keep to my 80 km/h top speed there.
Pushers behind him who step on the gas as soon as the truck in front of me pulls into the right lane.
You don't get the impression that people think about saving when they drive.
Hardly anyone seems to be interested in the fact that fuel is more expensive than ever.
Also noticeable: The traffic is actually the same as always, as is the behavior of most road users.
Crisis?
Not on the street.
Rather, one experiences aggressiveness and little consideration.
Fuel prices are particularly high in this country.
However, current statistics from the ADAC give drivers hope.
One thing works: Consumption drops from 6 liters to 4.7 liters per 100 kilometers
When I fill up on my return to determine my consumption, it turns out that I actually used less than usual: my car needed 4.7 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers.
Otherwise the consumption is almost 6 liters.
I was able to save around 1.3 liters thanks to my defensive and moderate driving style.
That's actually a good 20 percent.
I still felt uncomfortable, because I obviously got on the nerves of many drivers with my driving style.
That's what the police say
about the self-experiment: "...can't be illegal!"
My conclusion after this test: Hardly anyone seems to be interested in saving fuel when driving.
According to the driving style of some contemporaries, the fuel prices should be even higher.
For people with smaller wallets, however, it is a problem if the car journey now costs about twice as much as before the crisis.
The alternative: public transport.
Unfortunately, you have to rely on a car in the country.
You can read more news from the Ebersberg region here.
By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter.