Is Teaching Fuel Efficiency a Religion?

Is teaching fuel efficiency a religion?

By Kevin Harrison

Let’s face it -gas prices are still high. Not as high as two summers ago when they hit as much as $1.50 per litre, but still high compared to over a decade ago when we were seeing prices in the 50 cent range.

The auto industry has felt the effects of these higher prices. Big SUVs and pick-ups are about as desirable as H1N1 these days and we’re all looking for ways to squeeze those extra few kilometres out of our tanks.

This instability in pricing is especially bad news for the younger generation. When I was 16, like any other 16 year old, all I really cared about was getting my driver’s license. That is the key to owning your first car.

But let’s examine the costs of owning and operating a vehicle. You have the initial cost of the vehicle itself, regular and unscheduled maintenance, MVI fees, registration fees, summer and winter tire costs, gas and insurance. The latter is particularly damaging to your wallet if you are a young male. Quotes in the five to six thousand dollar range are not unheard of for cars that are barely worth that same amount. On average it costs about $8,000 a year to own and operate a car. Part-time jobs just don’t cut it.

So what is a young 16 year old to do?

Programs like DriveWiser and Auto$mart help ease the cost of operating a vehicle through fuel efficient driving. These programs have been integrated into driving schools across Nova Scotia to help educate youth about fuel efficiency and how their choices can effect it.

(DriveWiser display at 2009 Digby Scallop Days Festival)

There are additional advantages for fuel efficient driving practices besides saving money. The less gas we burn, the less carbon dioxide (CO2) goes into the atmosphere. CO2 has been linked to climate change as it prevents the sun’s rays from exiting the atmosphere.

In addition, the exhaust from the tailpipe can increase health risks to asthma, emphysema and even Alzheimer’s disease.

But is teaching fuel efficiency, despite the three obvious benefits outlined above, the same as integrating religion into our driving schools? Manny Lopez, Auto Editor for The Detroit News, seems to think so.

“Since these courses aren’t in the schools and parents have to pay for them out of their own pockets, they shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s religion — and trust me, environmental activism is a religion”, says Lopez.

It’s an interesting, but ultimately flawed argument.

In general, most religions tend to seek guidance from a higher power. Environmentalists have no such guidance other than that of science (unless someone considers Al Gore or David Suzuki to be Gods) so perhaps Lopez made a typo as environmental activism is based purely on science, not religion. Hard stops and starts, idling, speeding and infrequent maintenance have all been proven scientifically to increase fuel usage and CO2 levels-but as far as I know, do not qualify as one of the seven deadly sins just yet.

“Most young people don’t have the resources to choose what they get to drive, never mind shop around for one that has the ‘attributes of a fuel-efficient vehicle’. They’re just happy to get behind the wheel of a car, any car. And they’re certainly not going to pay much, if any attention, to someone telling them to take the bus when their only goal in life at that moment is driving.”

This is Lopez’s second nonsensical argument.

Just like how we had no choice as to what our parents fed us for supper each day when we were young, we eventually grew up to make those kinds of decisions for ourselves. So even if these young people have no say in the matter now, they will in the very near future. They cannot make informed decisions on what to buy and how to drive without good information.

Another thing Lopez may not realize is youth are already being taught about fuel efficiency indirectly. Most defensive driving techniques double as efficient driving techniques. So even if Lopez somehow gets his wish of abolishing fuel efficiency education the students will still be learning about fuel efficiency. Understanding how it affects their wallet and the environment is a bonus and might help motivate their behaviour along with the safety implications.

( A high school student learns how tire pressure can affect fuel efficiency)

But probably Lopez’s greatest blunder is one that most adults tend to make. They don’t actually speak with youth for their insight and opinions on issues that concern them. My job allows me to do just that.

Part of DriveWiser’s mandate is to do exactly what Lopez feels is so wrong -teaching fuel efficiency to youth. The hope is to instil fuel efficient driving practices at a young age so that it will stick with them throughout their adult years.

DriveWiser has directly spoken to 826 youth across the province in the past two years. We asked 308 of them what their main interest is in fuel efficiency: climate change, air quality, saving money or no interest at all. 44% of them listed saving money as their main interest, 29% said climate change, and 25% listed air quality. Only six of those 308 youth indicated that they had no interest in fuel efficiency.

So regardless of what Lopez, myself or anyone else thinks about fuel efficiency, this is a generation that sees it as a high priority and it is their right to learn more about it.

Playing politics does nothing but hurt the future of our youth. I would strongly suggest that Mr. Lopez go out to speak with youth before deciding what is best for them. If he did, he would quickly find that today’s youth know exactly what they want their future to be -a sustainable one.

(kharrison@clean.ns.ca)

Kevin Harrison is a DriveWIser Program Officer for Clean Nova Scotia