We are going greener

Queenslanders and Northern Territorians are still the fastest and most aggressive fuel guzzlers, while Tasmanians are the worst car-poolers. These statistics are revealed in the second annual AAMI Green Home and Motor Index about attitudes to the environment.

The Sweeney Research behavioural study found little change from the previous year's result except for a 5 per cent increase in use of ethanol fuel and varying changes in driving behaviour among the states.

The highest users of ethanol are the ACT (41 per cent) and Queensland, (40 per cent) which has the largest production of the organic fuel, while only one in 10 West Australians fill up with E10.

Most drivers say suitability is the most common reason for not using biofuels (41 per cent in 2008 and 37 per cent in 2009). However more motorists now think biofuels will have a negative impact on their car (from 26 per cent in 2008 to 36 per cent in 2009).

Biofuels are becoming more accessible across the country with a marked decrease in the number of drivers blaming availability this year (from 26 per cent in 2008 to 19 per cent in 2009). Cost is another reason for drivers not purchasing biofuels (19 per cent).

More than half of all Australian motorists consider environmental factors such as emissions and fuel consumption when buying a car.

Two in five said they adjusted their driving behaviour to reduce their environmental impact.

Victorian drivers were the least concerned about economy and environment when buying a car (47 per cent), while drivers in the ACT were the most concerned (59 per cent), compared with the national average of 52 per cent.

Queenslanders and Northern Territorians were well below the national averages for adjusting their driving behaviour to reduce their car's impact on the environment such as planning ahead and driving smoothly without aggressive acceleration or braking. Tasmanians were way above the national average as the smoothest drivers.

Two out of every five motorists have trimmed back their use of their car and choose to walk or cycle, but less than a third car pool. Among the various methods of reducing emissions and fuel consumption, the highest adoption was correct tyre inflation (72 per cent).

Reducing weight in the car and turning off the airconditioning was adopted by about two out of five, but only a quarter of Northern Territorians are likely to turn off their cooling and sweat it out. Across the nation the number turning off the airconditioning has dropped from 49 per cent in 2008 to 46 per cent in 2009.

Paying to offset your vehicle's carbon emissions is adopted by only 15 per cent of drivers, up from 13 per cent last year. Only one in four say they would be willing to pay up to $50 to offset their emissions.