Saving on Gas, for Patriots

Not long ago, I noticed that the mileage on my 15 year old Toyota Corolla had slipped, from its usual 24-25 mpg to 20-21 mpg. Several checks at the repair shop showed only that the car was in fine shape. Most of my driving was short trips around town, usually three to ten miles at a time, the worst driving for good mileage.

Theory: perhaps my driving style had changed?

Experiment: try to get the best mileage possible from the car.

Result: my mileage improved to 27-28 mpg! So, how did I do it? Slow driving…

1. Shift to neutral at red lights.

2. Coast as much as possible. I often started coasting one to two blocks from a red light or a stop sign. It is amazing how far one can coast with little loss of speed, in today’s cars. Coasting downhill is easy, of course, but coasting uphill also works better than you think.

3. Accelerate slowly. Listen to the engine, and have a light foot on the accelerator. You can tell when gas is wasted from the engine’s sound. This means 0-60 in much more time. Who needs to be an Indy driver?

4. Brake slowly, starting earlier than usual. If you think of coasting to a stop, you will brake more lightly.

5. Stay within the speed limits, or at most five miles over the limit. We know that most cars on the road routinely are going 10-15 miles over the limit. We also know that the faster you drive, the worse the mileage. Moral: take your time!

What does all this mean? You can cut the cost of gas by 10%, 20%, or more immediately, just by changing your driving style. Not a bad investment! Longer term, you can lower the cost of gas by reducing your demand: the market will respond. You will keep more money in your pocket, and at home, rather than sending it to the oil companies and the oil producers abroad.

Conclusion: join the slow drive movement, and be a slow driver – It’s the patriotic thing to do.