Meaning that for all the weaving in and out of traffic for an hour, you save two minutes and use a third more fuel.

The findings were based on a European study in busy cities, said a director of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).

"Reckless drivers are now paying the price," said Associate Professor Dr Wong Shaw Voon of Miros' vehicle safety and biomechanics research centre.

Wong said the recent fuel price hike should be looked at from a positive angle.

"If the price of petrol went up by 10 sen, people say they can still absorb it and continue to take petrol for granted. Now, it is forcing us to make a drastic change, and it's a good change.

"And we can all start by driving slower."

Driving below 100kmh cuts down a substantial amount of fuel, another study revealed. Reducing speed from 120kmh to 100kmh saves up to 20 per cent of fuel. A reduction to 90kmh saves another 10 per cent.

To conserve even more fuel while travelling on highways, Wong recommended the use of auto cruise control because it lessens acceleration and deceleration.

Many drivers have a bad habit of placing a foot on the brake pedal, especially on highways.

"This increases fuel use."

Wong also advised drivers to make sure their tyres are of the right pressure, to avoid idling and not to overload the vehicle. Tyres under inflated by 55kPa can set one back by four per cent of petrol.

And if you know you would remain stationary for more than two minutes, switch the engine off, said Wong.

"People have the perception that switching the engine on and off is going to waste a lot of petrol. But letting the car run is going to cost more."

Overloading is especially bad on small cars, said Wong, because the fuel economics and engine were not designed for such a load.

For those looking to buy a new car, get accurate fuel consumption information.Most manufacturers present a figure based on the mixture of highway and city travel consumption, but dishonest ones would hide the urban travel consumption.

A typical car can cover 100km on 12 to 13 litres.

Smaller cars are better, running on 10litre/100km in cities and 6 to 7litre/100km on highways.