Cars & Transportation

a note from Tilly Titewad ...

There's a cajillion hints around about how to save gas by driving carefully.

Probably the best one for me is that my dad taught me to drive as though I had a raw egg between my foot and the gas pedal. Trust me, there will be no gas-burning jack rabbit starts or sudden stops if you do this.

Use the 2-second rule to achieve a safe following distance. That gives you time to adjust your speed without slamming on the brakes or stomping on the gas pedal. If you're new to this concept, just start counting off 2 seconds when the car ahead of you passes some mark on the pavement, like the shadow of a bridge or light post, and if you cross that mark earlier than 2 seconds later, back off a bit and check again at the next marker. You'll soon get used to gauging the distance. This method works at any speed. Larger vehicles, like buses, use a 3-second rule.

I use cruise control on the highway because maintaining a constant speed uses far less fuel.

Remove unnecessary stuff from your car to reduce the weight.

If you can improve your fuel efficiency by 2 mph when you’re now getting 20 mph, that means that every 10th fill-up is free! Sounds pretty good, eh?

When I worked in the city, I used public transportation for my commute. Even though it took more time, it saved money and I could relax enroute. Of course, we didn’t have daycare to deal with; that would have changed the picture entirely.

We drive older cars that get pretty good gas mileage (33 mpg on the sedan, 19 mpg on the SUV which hauls large loads 2-3 times a week) and we don’t owe anything on either one. Once your car is paid off, it won’t be repossessed. Maintaining them, ie, regular oil changes, etc. pays off in the long run.

There's more information at www.fueleconomy.gov and other websites.

Happy driving!