With the average American spending nearly 40 hours per year stuck in traffic, according to The Atlantic, it’s no wonder people are running out of time and out of money. Not only are people spending what’s equal to an entire workweek sitting in cars on congested roadways, they’re also wasting time and money that could be spent elsewhere. This same source says that because of traffic, the nation is traveling 5.5 billion hours more and buy almost three billion gallons of gas. You can do your part to save on gas while on the road by following some simple tips.
Drive Carefully
Sure, everyone experiences road rage or the need to get to our kids’ soccer game on time, but all that erratic driving can end up costing you big time. It’s called “angry driving” and it includes accelerating quickly and driving erratically. Avoid gunning the gas. Studies show, says Forbes, that when you accelerate slowly from a green light or stop gradually when approaching a red light rather than slam on the brakes and accelerate rapidly, you can cut your fuel consumption by up to 35 percent depending on the type of vehicle you have. Set your auto on cruise control on the highway and you could get up to 14 percent better mileage.
Get Gas Mid-Week
Never get gas on the weekends of the days leading up to it. According to Dragon Products, a company that specializes in industrial storage tanks, since gas prices tend to increase on Thursdays to anticipate for the pending weekend and all the travel that goes with it, it’s best if you fill up on Wednesday. Even if you fill up early on Thursday morning, you’ll still experience better prices because station owners change out their prices at about 10 am.
Shut off the Engine
Dropping the kids off at practice, warming up the car in winter, doing your bills while waiting for the grocery store to open up – all this idle time with the engine running will cost you in the long run. You may think it’s a harmless minute or two, but you can actually waste more gas that way than by simply turning off the engine and then restarting when you’re ready to go.
Pay Cash
Many gas stations entice their customers with a low price advertisement. But look closer and you’ll see that low price is only when you pay cash. If you pay with a debit or credit card, you’ll pay several cents more per gallon, so it’s wise to get some cash out of the ATM before getting gas.
Maintain your Car
The maintenance – or lack thereof – on your vehicle can have a direct effect not only on the performance of your car but on the gas mileage. You should always make sure your tires are properly inflated and your air filter is changed and clean. If you let your tires get under-inflated, this can decrease the tread life and even braking systems, making it just that much slower to get from place to place. Therefore, you’re using more gas to get to the same places. The Department of Energy says that keeping clean air filters can improve gas mileage up to seven percent, or more than $70 for every 10,000 miles you travel. Hey, every penny counts!
This article was contributed on behalf of Dragon, your number one choice when looking for high-quality oil-related products. Check out their website at www.dragonproductsltd.com for more information!
