PHH Vehicle Management Services has launched a new programme to encourage company car drivers to improve their fuel consumption. The new initiative seeks to promote careful considered driving, which should improve mpg and reduce driving-related stress and road rage.

It forms the second prong of its 'Buy it right - use it right' AllStar campaign, which began with its target pricing initiative giving customers the information to buy fuel at the cheapest filling stations in their area.

The new initiative brings a driver training element to fuel management - and if implemented successfully, could lead to much bigger savings than the target pricing initiative. The programme works by setting each driver a percentage by which he should improve his fuel consumption over the existing average and then tracks the driver's progress towards the target. PHH believe an improvement of two or three mpg is very easy to achieve - requiring only minor modifications to driving style but equating to a massive 10% fuel saving.

In pre-launch pilot tests, drivers accepted that journey times had little to do with driving fast, but were dictated by traffic, junctions, roundabouts etc. By adopting a smoother driving style, drivers realised they could dramatically improve mpg and longer term, reduce wear and tear on tyres and, brakes and even reduce accident rates.