Fuel Economy Tip - Take Care of Things Before You Start the Car
April 30th, 2006 | by Brian Carr |Today’s tip will help you find several small ways to help reduce the amount of time you idle shortly after you start the car.
Do all the little things BEFORE you start your vehicle.
Here’s a list of some things people regularly do AFTER they start their vehicle that should be done BEFORE they start their vehicle. Keep in mind, this isn’t an all inclusive list, so if you can think of other things that you should do before you start the car, please feel free to leave a comment:
- Put on their seat belt
- Flip through their CDs
- Adjust side and rear view mirrors
- Make sure children are buckled in
- Roll down windows (yes, some people, like myself, still have cars without automatic windows)
In the grand scheme of things, you’re probably reducing the amount of time your vehicle idles by between 10 and 30 seconds each time you hop in for a drive. While you’re certainly not saving gallons gas by performing these tasks before you start your vehicle, the fact is that you are saving gas and over time it will add up.
By doing the small things listed above before you start your car, I wouldn’t be surprised you saved between $10 and $25 per year.
While that doesn’t seem like much, it all adds up!
