Seventy-seven percent of Vietnamese drivers do not know how to save fuel even though many see fuel efficiency as important, a new study has shown.

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In the Shell Fuel Efficiency Fact or Fiction Report on Vietnamese drivers’ behavior released on March 5, 87 percent of the drivers surveyed consider fuel efficiency an important matter, but 77 percent admit they do not know how to be efficient.

The Shell Fuel Efficiency Fact or Fiction Report was commissioned by the U.S.-based oil company Shell and conducted by independent research firm Edelman Berland in December 2014.

It used an online questionnaire with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Vietnamese drivers aged 18 to 40.

In the study, 64 percent of the respondents say they feel anxious about trying to decide how best to save fuel, leading many to believe in a collection of peculiar fuel saving myths.

The research shows that 85 percent warm up their engine before setting off to make them more fuel efficient, while 41 percent think filling up at night does the same trick.

Moreover, 97 percent even practice driving slowly all the time to help them save fuel. Lastly, 83 percent keep their engine running to avoid frequent restarts.

“The Shell Fuel Efficiency Fact or Fiction Report shows just how important saving fuel has become to motorists, along with the incredible ways they try to be more fuel efficient,” Tran Hong Van, General Manager of Shell Vietnam, said of the findings.

“Some of the beliefs revealed through the study were actually wasting fuel rather than helping to conserve it,” he added.

Also shown in the study is that 57 percent of the drivers polled thought that they are responsible for saving fuel for the future, while 79 percent are looking to scientists to do that, in addition to 70 percent putting their trust in engineers.

The Shell Fuel Efficiency Fact or Fiction Report also reveals that the confusion on the road is in stark contrast to what goes on inside the nation’s homes.

Indeed, whilst 92 percent of the participants say they frequently turn off the lights to save energy when leaving the house, only half check their tires to make sure they are properly inflated at the correct pressure.

Drivers are also unable to distinguish between different types of lubricants, with seven in 10 (71 percent) not knowing the difference between a mineral and synthetic engine oil/lubricant.

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