Great Green Idea: Green Cars: Driving Habits can Turn Green Car Red

Driving Habits can Turn Green Car Red

Buying a new vehicle with high gas mileage or a hybrid vehicle may seem like the perfect way to save money on gas and reduce refinery production, but if the driver does not participate in the save gas program, it can be an exercise in futility.

Except in the sport of drag racing, there is no prize for getting off the line faster than everyone else. Slamming the gas pedal to the floor when the light turns red is going to suck a lot of gas and usually only gets you to the next red light faster. Easing away from a dead stop will cut fuel use considerably. For example, a large eight cylinder sport utility vehicle, with a typical mileage of 16-miles per gallon will see that mileage plummet to about 12 miles per gallon on a jack rabbit start. This is a 25-percent reduction in fuel economy and is an expensive habit.

Numerous studies have shown that each vehicle has an optimum fuel economy speed. On average, most vehicles achieve that optimum economy up to about 60 miles per hour. Over 60, gas mileage falls dramatically increasing the amount of fuel used as well as your operating expense. Further, those same studies have shown that driving 70 or above and getting to your destination 15-minutes sooner will actually cost more in gas than driving 55-miles per hour and arriving five to 10 minutes later.

You can also plan ahead to reduce fuel consumption. Look ahead when driving and if the upcoming light is yellow or red, begin to slow down before you get there. By idling up to the light you reduce the need for fuel. Again, if the light turns green before you get there take a slow approach to starting out to avoid guzzling gas with a rapid start from a stop or near stop.

Weaving in and out of traffic is not only a dangerous practice, speeding up and slowing down constantly will reduce your vehicle's fuel economy. It is usually best to find a lane, especially on freeway riving, and stay there. It is a common misconception that cruise control uses more gas but by using this feature you will maintain a steady speed, leveling out the fuel economy of the vehicle. There may be some safety concerns with cruise control, especially in rain or snowy conditions, but on dry roads it can actually save gas.

Consider the times you have stopped to talk to your neighbor or a friend and sat in the car with the motor running. Any time the engine is running and you are not going anywhere, you are wasting gas, As a rule of thumb, think of your vehicle as a hybrid and turn off the engine if you are going to be idle for even a minute or longer. Not only will you save money on gas, but you will also reduce wear and tear on your car and emissions into the air.

Even hybrid vehicles can be driven with bad driving habits and waste whatever fuel savings you are expecting. The engines in these vehicles are designed to shut off when stopped at a red light, but if you punch the accelerator when the light turns green, you have just wasted what gas you saved while stopped.