Fuel Economy – Driving Behaviors

Fuel Economy – Driving Behaviors

I mentioned in an earlier post that driving behaviors can be the cheapest and most effective way to improve your fuel economy.

There are several behavior changes you can make behind the wheel that will help save on your gas budget. A lot of these tips work together.

1. Use a feather touch on the gas and break pedal. Accelerate and decelerate slower.


2. Look ahead. The further you look ahead the more you can anticipate what might occur and you can make small corrections keeping your speed more consistent and changes in speed more gradual. This has more than a fuel saving benefit, its also keeps you more aware of your surrondings and therefore safer.
   


3. Don’t Drive Angry! Driving angry will not allow you to accomplish item #1.


4. Slow Down. Give yourself more time and slow down. Now don’t slow down so much that you become a hinder to the flow of other traffic. Stay within the speed limit and no more than 10 mph over of under the flow of traffic. I try not to go ever go over 65 mph on trips except for brief periods when trying to pass someone. You can usually get way better mileage between 60-65 mph than you can at 70-80 mph.


5. Don’t Idle so much! If you hit a red light you know to be a longer wait say 30 sec or more kill the engine. If you are waiting to pick someone up from a home, school, work, shopping center, or anyplace else shut off the engine. Engine running and car not moving is always ZERO mpg.


6. Some people will use “Drafting” or “Tailgating,” as your ticket from law enforcement might say, to increase their mileage. While effective in getting better fuel economy, ITS VERY, VERY DANGEROUS AND ILLEGAL. SO DO NOT DO IT! Please use a safer method above. Your life or the life of someone else is not worth the possibility of saving a few bucks of gas.