A NEW report by The Centre for Exploitation of Science and Technology, an independent research body, claims the UK could save £400 million in car business mileage, and £300 million in car commuting trips through improved fuel use.

'Efficient Corporate Transport - A Review' identifies and analyses new technologies and techniques available to help fleets achieve these savings and improve corporate responsibility towards environmental issues.

Celia Greaves, CEST project leader and author of the report, believes 10% improvements in fuel consumption should be possible through training drivers to drive more efficiently, a policy which should also have a beneficial effect on accident rates. Further possible initiatives include the encouragement of peer pressure, with companies tracking fuel performance of individual vehicles, and then publishing the results in league tables; and even offering to share some of the financial savings with drivers.

The UK Government has already pledged to reduce vehicle emissions by 10 million tonnes of carbon by the year 2000, under the Climate Change Convention, and the CEST report claims that reducing work-related car trips could help to achieve around 10% of this target.

Copies of 'Efficient Corporate Transport' - priced at £40 - are available from Rebecca Nancarrow on 0171 354 9942.