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MTC Launches 511 Smart Driving Pilot Program

August 15, 2102
You might consider yourself to be a capable driver, but are you a “smart” driver? MTC is undertaking a pilot program to train a select group of Bay Area motorists to put the smart in their driving so as to improve their mileage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The 511 Smart Driving Pilot Program will occur in two phases, one beginning this fall and the other in winter 2012-13, and aims to test the effect of smart driving techniques over a five- to six-month period. MTC intends to enroll 150 participants from the region's urban core in the trial. If the program proves beneficial, the smart driving concept could be expanded to drivers across the region.

The Smart Driving Pilot is part of MTC’s Climate Initiatives Program, which launched in 2009 and is geared to making modest investments that reduce transportation-related emissions. The Smart Driving Pilot is being presented as an adjunct to MTC’s 511 Traveler Information System, which helps motorists make wise transportation choices by offering fresh traffic and transit information on the phone, on the web and via mobile devices, 24/7 and free of charge.

Smart driving includes techniques that drivers can take to more efficiently operate their vehicles to achieve better fuel economy and lower emissions. These activities include:

• changing driver behavior, by accelerating smoothly, decelerating efficiently and maintaining a steady average speed;
• improving vehicle maintenance by means of proper tire inflation, regular auto tune-ups and the like;
• selecting less-congested routes; and
• decreasing vehicle load (by cleaning out the trunk).

The 511 Smart Driving Pilot also will test whether the use of dashboard devices that display real-time fuel usage coupled with smart driving strategies can help drivers improve their gas mileage. The pilot calls for the temporary installation of the in-vehicle devices for a portion of the participants, along with short, biweekly, online smart driving lessons for all participants.

Smart driving activities, when done together, can improve vehicle efficiency by up to 15 percent, and in some cases up to 30 percent, all while reducing the emissions that pollute our air.

People interested in participating can visit 511.org/smartdriving.asp for more information. Interested individuals will be asked to take a brief two-minute survey to determine eligibility. Drivers must be 18 years or older, use their own vehicle for the pilot, and the vehicle must be a model year 1996 or newer.