Dangerous ways to save on your gas mileage

June 17, 2022 0 Comments

Everyone wants to save on their gas mileage these days, however it’s important to do it safely. You may have heard of race cars driving in the wake of other cars to reduce drag and it would be correct to assume this saves you gas, however it is exceptionally dangerous. 54% of accidents on the road are other vehicles colliding with the rear of the leading car. Basically driving to close. So here are the facts. At 50 miles per hour, it takes you 15 meters to react to a dangerous situation and another 38 meters to stop, so a total of 53 meters is the minimum distance you should be behind a car at 50 miles per hour. This assumes a dry road, efficient brakes and normal reaction times, the elderly generally react slower than this.

In rain, this distance should be doubled and in snow and ice, the braking distance can be up to 10 times longer. Another crazy suggestion I’ve seen is to drive in neutral, this is dangerous as you no longer have the benefit of using the engine to slow down. If this is confusing, think about going downhill and selecting a lower gear, do this because you know gears and the engine give you better control of your speed. If it’s in neutral, it will actually accelerate going down a hill; going faster with less control of your car is not something you should try. So what are the safe ways to save gas? Drive more smoothly and you will brake or accelerate less harshly. Take your foot off the accelerator when going downhill. Take your foot off the gas and let the air and road resistance slow you to a stop, this should require minimal braking. Remove 3rd gear and shift from 2nd to 4th going up or 4th to 2nd going down.

Make sure your car receives regular maintenance, with a new air and oil filter, clean oil, and the correct tire pressure. Fill half full instead of carrying the weight of a full tank. Keep our rev counter below 3000 revolutions and drive in the highest possible gear that is appropriate for your speed and driving conditions. Empty all the trash out of your car, more weight means more fuel. Use your air conditioning less, this burns a lot of fuel, when it’s below 45 miles per hour it’s cheaper to open a window assuming Car Share where possible and consider public transportation, a bike or walking for some of your trips. Buy a smaller, more fuel efficient car, consider a petrol/LPG dual fuel as LPG is half the price of petrol. Stay safe, obey the speed limit and keep your driving to around 60 miles per hour as this only uses fuel. Happy safe driving.

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