6 ways you're wasting gas
Source: http://money.cnn.com
It's not easy to break bad driving habits,
but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind
up breaking your bank. |
|
 |
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With all the worry
over fuel prices, you'd think drivers would do whatever they
can not to waste gas. But look around and you'll see lots of
them tooling around as if they owned their own tanker fleet.
One of them might be you.
Here are six ways drivers typically waste gas every on every
trip:
1. Racing away from green lights: When
the light turns green, you don't have to take off as quickly
as possible. That pedal under your right foot is called
the "gas pedal" for a good reason. The more you
press down on it, the more gas you're pumping into the
engine. Press lightly on the gas pedal, and you'll still
accelerate, and you'll still get where you're going. You
might be surprised
at how little pressure it takes to get your car up to speed
in a reasonable time. |
|
|
2. Racing up to red lights: When you're driving
down the street, and you see a light red light or stop sign up
ahead, you should lay off the gas sooner rather than later.
There's
no point in keeping your foot on the gas until just before
you reach the intersection. Let off the pedal sooner and give
your engine a rest as you coast to the stop while braking gently.
As an added benefit, your brake pads will last longer, too.
By
themselves, these first two tips can improve your fuel economy
around town by as much as 35 percent, according to tests conducted
by automotive information Web site Edmunds.com.
3. Confusing the
highway with a speedway: Even if it doesn't involve hard acceleration,
speeding wastes gas. The faster you
go, the more air your vehicle has to push out of the way. It's
like moving your hand through water. The faster you try to
move your hand, the harder the water pushes back.
In tests by
Consumer Reports, driving at 75 miles per hour instead of 65
miles per hour reduced fuel economy by between
3 and 5
miles per gallon, depending on the vehicle.
4. Bumper-buzzing: Tailgating is a bad move for many reasons. First of all, it's
unsafe. You reduce your ability to react
if the car in front of you slows or stops. It also means
you have
to pay ultra-close attention to that car which reduces your
ability to scan for other hazards ahead of you and to the
sides.
And tailgating wastes gas. Every time the driver
ahead taps his brakes, you have to slow down even more than he
did.
(That's because you can't react immediately so you have
to slow even
more because you're slowing down later.) Then you accelerate
again to get back up to speed and resume your bumper-buzzing
routine.
Hang back and you'll be safer - plus you'll be
able to drive more smoothly and use less fuel. A good rule
of thumb
is
to allow two seconds of space between your car and the
one ahead.
You
can figure that out by counting off two seconds after
the car in front of you passes an obvious landmark like an
overpass.
 5. Driving standing still: You've probably heard
that it takes more gas to restart a car than to let it run. Maybe
that used to be true, but it isn't anymore. With modern fuel-injection
engines, it takes very little extra gas to restart a car once
it's warmed up.
Idling, meanwhile, burns about a half-mile worth
of gas every minute, according to the California Energy Commission.
That's
why hybrid cars shut down their gasoline engines whenever they
stop, even for a moment.
Now you don't want to shut your engine
down for every little stop in your regular, non-hybrid car
- it's not designed for
that - but if you're waiting for someone to run in and out
of a convenience store, turn off the engine.
And don't go
through the drive-through at fast food restaurants. You're
already paying enough for the oil in those chicken
nuggets.
Bonus tip: Don't idle your engine to let it warm
up before driving. It does your engine no good and it wastes
gas.
Instead, start
driving right away, but drive gently until the engine is
warm.
6. Short hops: For really short trips, take advantage
of the opportunity to get some exercise. Try walking to the store
instead of driving. You can save gas and burn a few calories
instead.
If you can't hoof it, save up your errands. A
lot of short hops that let the engine cool down at home between
trips
can use twice
as much gas as starting the car once and making a big sweep
to all your stops, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Go
to your farthest destination first so your engine has a chance
to reach its optimal operating temperature. Then make your
other stops on the way back. With the engine warmed up, the car
will
restart easily and run efficiently all the way home.
About MINES & Associates
For over 25 years MINES & Associates has
been a nationally recognized business psychology firm that
provides a variety of services to corporate employers including
employee assistance programs (EAP), managed mental healthcare,
organizational development and psychology services, wellness
programs, behavioral risk management, disease management, PPO
services, and a number of other technology based services.
MINES & Associates is divided into two main divisions,
Organizational Psychology and Health Psychology, and currently
serves a diverse portfolio of clients in all 50 states, Canada,
Mexico, and the UK.
Please log on to http://www.minesandassociates.com for
the latest news and information on MINES & Associates.
Click
here for back issues.
|
Newsletters 
