The Dutch national ecodriving programme Het Nieuwe Rijden: A success story

Peter Wilbers, SenterNovem, The Netherlands
Henk Wardenaar, Dutch Ministry of Transport and Water Management

Keywords

ecodriving, driving behaviour, purchasing behaviour, energy-efficiency, CO2 emission reduction, traffic safety, traffic and transport, mobility, evaluation and monitoring, long-term strategy, cost-effectiveness

Abstract

The Dutch national ecodriving programme ‘Het Nieuwe Rijden’ concerns a long-term strategy for the period 1999 until 2010. The programme is implemented by SenterNovem, on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Transport. It encourages (professional) drivers and fleet owners to purchase and drive passenger cars, delivery vans and lorries more energy-efficiently. Recently the scope of the programme was even enhanced to trains.

The programme collaborates with over 30 consumer and retail organisations, mainly in the transport and car business.

The Dutch national ecodriving programme comprises the following issues:

Driving school curriculums
Re-educating licensed drivers
Fuel saving in-car devices
Tyre pressures
Purchasing behaviour

Important elements of the programme are also communication, evaluation and monitoring and international cooperation.

The Dutch ecodriving programme has proven to realise substantial reductions in CO2 emissions and to contribute to Environmentally Sustainable Transport. It also has shown to have positive effects on other important policy issues like road safety, traffic noise nuisance and driver stress.

The Dutch ecodriving programme is evaluated annually. The target of the programme is a CO2 emission avoidance of 1.5 Mton in 2010. This amount equals 4 % of the total emissions of Dutch traffic and transport in 2010 and half a million cars not being driven for one whole year.

The cost-effectiveness of the ecodriving programme results in a favourable cost-effectiveness of less then € 10 per ton avoided CO2 emissions.

The programme is a model for EU countries as well as for the EC.

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