http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/n ... /7851.aspx
IT is often said that it's 'what's inside, that counts'.
That certainly applies to the car boots of more than 1,000 Londoners surveyed as part of Transport for London's (TfL's) Smarter Driving campaign.
Among the weird and wonderful assortment of things people carried in their boots were a sack full of used postcards, an antique commode and a rock resembling former Generation Game host Bruce Forsyth.
More than 30 different kinds of animals also featured, ranging from locusts and hamsters, snakes and parrots, to goats and sheep.
However, the prize for most surprising find must go to a driver from southwest London who had been ferrying around bars of gold in his car boot.
Ben Plowden, Programme Director of TfL's Smarter Travel Unit, said: 'Cars are the third biggest contributor to an individual's carbon emissions and carrying unnecessary items in your boot increases fuel consumption.
'All it takes is a spot of spring cleaning and a few simple changes to your driving style and you'll soon be counting up the savings - to the environment and your own pocket.
'If all drivers in London drove smarter, TfL has estimated that this could drive down the capital's carbon dioxide emissions by half a million tonnes a year.'
Here's a few more things people admitted to carrying in their boots:
Southeast London
Historical costumes and chain mail
An autographed racing car wing
East London
Life-sized cardboard cut-out of Princess Diana
Shop mannequins
Gallows and 7 nooses (for a magic show)
North London
A sack full of used postcards
Stuffed otter
Southwest London
A hive full of bees
A fruit machine
West London
Hundreds of unmatched socks
Skeleton
6ft Pink Panther
Visit
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Drive smarter to do your bit
AS well as avoiding unnecessary weight in you boot, the following smarter driving tips will be able to help you cut down on emissions:
Keep your tyres inflated to the right pressure
Speed up and slow down smoothly
Change gear at low revs
Don't leave your engine running to warm it up
Limit the number of short car journeys you make