How to Preserve Gas

Gas isn't going to get any cheaper. If anything, the cost of gas is going to keep going up and up and up. Meanwhile, your paycheck stays about the same and so does the gas mileage of your car. But that doesn't mean that you have to keep wasting money every week at the gas station. There are safe and effective ways to stretch your tank and save you money over the long haul.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Take your foot off of the gas when driving on a decline. Allow the car's own momentum to keep you moving. Accelerating when going down hill is almost always unecessary.

2. Accelerate slowly after stopping at a red light and stop signs. Speeding off will waste gas and save you very little time.

3. Stop accelerating when you see that you're going to have to come to a stop. When it's obvious that you're coming up on a red light, stop sign, or traffic, take your foot off the pedal and allow your car to slow down on it's own before braking.

4. Obey the speed limit. On freeways, try to drive around 55 miles per hour as this speed helps you conserve gas. As long as you're not holding up traffic there's no need for you to floor it. Whatever time you might save will absolutely end up costing you money at the pump.

5. Turn off your car instead of letting it idle. Idling can waste almost as much gas as driving on the freeway and it's hard on your engine. If you're going to be stopped for any length of time, turn off the engine and wait.

6. Stop riding your brake. When you brake constantly you also have to accelerate constantly to get back up to speed, wasting valuable gas. Keep a healthy distance from the cars in front of you and control your speed.