Driving Tips from the Department of Energy

[Matt Timion]

<p><strong>Publication:</strong>Department of Energy (www.fueleconomy.gov)</p><p align="left"><strong>Drive Sensibly </strong>
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Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.
<p><em>Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33% </em></p>
<strong>Observe the Speed Limit </strong>
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Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.
<p>Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.15 per gallon for gas. </p>
<p>Observing the speed limit is also safer. </p>
<p><em>Fuel Economy Benefit: - 7-23%</em></p>
<strong>Remove Excess Weight</strong>
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<p align="left">Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones. </p>
<p align="left"><em>Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2%/100lbs</em></p>
<p><strong>Avoid Excessive Idling </strong></p>
<p>Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.</p>
<p> <strong>Use Cruise Control </strong>

Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.</p>

<p><strong>Use Overdrive Gears </strong><br>
When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear. </p>