The Top Gasoline Saving Tip, Revisited

Unless you’ve been living on a desert island and haven’t been surfing the Internet for the last decade or so, you’ve no doubt seen dozens of articles about how to save gasoline when driving your automobile. In fact, you’ve probably seen a few of those right here on this blog.

Today’s blog isn’t more of the same, per se, but instead a simple reiteration of the very best gasoline saving tip that most people aren’t using.

For example, you’ve no doubt already heard that speeding, jackrabbit starts and letting your engine idle for long periods of time are very wasteful, gasoline-wise. But, here’s the one thing that wastes the most gas; changing speeds.

Here’s a fact; every time you increase speed you use gasoline and, every time you hit the brakes to slow down at have to accelerate again, you use even more. (Duh, right?)

What most drivers don’t realize however is that they waste even more gasoline than they should by speeding up more than they should and then, almost immediately, using the brakes more than they should as well. The reasons for this happening are various, including tailgating, not doing enough to see what’s coming (i.e. red lights) and speeding up as you approach a red light instead of using your car’s momentum to take you to the next stop.

Think about it; how many times have you seen someone speed past you as you approach a red light, only to slam on their brakes and have to slow down abruptly? That nasty little habit is wasting a huge amount of gas, especially when driving in the city.

Simply put, the more you have to use your brakes, the more gas you’re wasting, because you could have used your car’s momentum to get there instead.

Getting to the red light faster and then having to stop abruptly makes no sense whatsoever if you think about it, because it doesn’t get you to your final destination any faster. It’s not all that good for your brakes either, because the more you have to use them the faster they wear down and need to be replaced.

So there you go. Changing speeds is the most wasteful habit when driving, and learning how to use your car’s momentum to your advantage is the best way to save gasoline.

It might take some getting used to, especially if you’re a nervous driver who’s always in a rush, but if saving gasoline is your goal, learning how to use your car’s momentum is the key to achieving that goal.