From News Nation:
“Gas prices are rising: 10
driving tips to save you money”
As the average national gas price
continues to tick higher, many drivers are looking for that dream gas station
with absurdly low prices. But did you know that you can save money just by
changing the way you drive? On Friday, the national average hit $3.378 per
gallon for regular gasoline, according to AAA. That’s up four cents from
Monday, and, given the tight supply, there’s no relief at the pump in the near
future. Soaring gas prices didn’t affect all states equally last week, however.
Since Thursday, these states saw the biggest jumps on average: Connecticut (+13
cents), North Carolina (+13 cents), Florida (+13 cents), Rhode Island (+12
cents), New York (+12 cents), Tennessee (+12 cents), New Jersey (+12 cents),
Massachusetts (+12 cents), New Hampshire (+11 cents) and Vermont (+10 cents).
Why are gas prices so high? If
you live in the western United States, Illinois, Alaska or Hawaii, where gas
prices are the highest, you may want to get creative to keep your fuel costs
down. In fact, the opportunity to start saving some cash comes well before you
reach the gas station.
According to AAA, these ten
driving tips can help you minimize your bill:
Got a heavy foot? Stop making
“jackrabbit” starts and accelerating hard.
Don’t idle. If your car is
stopped for more than 60 seconds, shut off the engine to save gas.
Red light coming up? Stop
accelerating and let the car coast up to the signal until it’s time to brake.
You may love your car dearly, but
don’t waste money on premium fuel unless the manufacturer recommends or
requires it.
Not going on a weeklong camping
trip anytime soon? Take off those roof racks and top carriers that can have a
major effect on gas mileage.
Take it easy on the air
conditioning. Even at highway speeds, open windows have less effect on fuel
economy than the engine power needed to operate the air conditioning
compressor.
If you have a manual
transmission, upshift as soon as you can and save fuel by “skip-shifting” when
practical.
Do you have timed traffic lights
where you live? Slow down and sync up your vehicle’s speed with the green
lights to conserve fuel.
When accelerating, do it smoothly
to let the automatic transmission upshift earlier, reducing the engine’s rpm
and saving gas in the process.
Keep your tires properly inflated
— soft tires make the car work harder than it should. They also make handling
more difficult, and increase the risk of a blowout in the long run.
^ These are some helpful
gas-saving tips. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.