Green Driving Tips

What is driving “green”?  Well, it is a way we can drive to reduce our impact on the environment as well as the impact on our wallets.

1.  Keep your tires properly inflated. Driving with your tires at the proper inflation can improve your efficiency by up to 3%. That’s a savings of $30 to $70 depending on how much you drive, and can reduce greenhouse gasses by 1.42% to 0.69 percent. Under-inflated tires alone cost the country more than $3.5 million gallons of gasoline each day.

2.  Observe the speed limit. As a general rule, assume that each On average, every one mph increase over 50 mph reduces your fuel mileage by 1 miles per gallon. That’s one mile per gallon less for every 10 mph over the speed limit you drive. Depending on your driving style and how fast you drive, you could waste 20 to 70 cents per gallon.Relax and avoid hard starts and stops. Aggressive driving can reduce your gas mileage by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent in the city.Reduce excess vehicle weight. Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your trunk. Each 100 pounds can reduce your economy by 2%Keep your car properly tuned. A well-tuned car can run 4% more efficiently than one that is out or tune or has failed its emissions test.

3.  Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your fuel economy by as much as 10%

4.  Don’t idle. Idling for just 10 minutes per day can waste as much as 22 gallons per year. At $3.00 a gallon, that’s $66 in your pocket.