One thing I try to impress upon people here is that you don’t have to totally change your life to make changes that count. You can still drive to work. You can still travel if you want. It’s easier to save more emissions if you don’t, but you can be a “greener” driver without cutting the fun or privacy out of your life.

We went on vacation this week and wound up driving to Mt. Rushmore. On the way there, we enjoyed pretty good gas mileage, but I drove on the way home and saved a LOT of gas. I don’t mess with my husband’s car too much, so unfortunately I can’t give you exact stats, but a little over $100 worth.

Here are three things anyone can do on a long trip to save gas without going to great inconvenience or expense:

1) Only use cruise control on flat, reasonably straight roads. I don’t know if you’ve driven through the Black Hills, but they don’t qualify. It’s up, down, up, down and snaking curves for most of the drive. Not only is using cruise control in that situation bad on gas mileage (and on your car) but it can be a safety hazard.

2) Slow down (when it’s convenient and safe for yourself and other drivers). It’s too bad that last part has to be thrown in there, but humans can be incredibly self-centered, and thoughtless. We had a few times on our trip home where for 50+ miles, we were the only ones on our lane of the road. It’s okay to slow down in those situations. It’s less okay to go 40 mph in a 75 mph zone when you’re surrounded by other people. On the trip home, I am guessing I averaged 58 - 62 mph. No, we didn’t make the best time possible, and it wasn’t that exciting of a drive, but it padded our budget.

3) Take care of your car. Keep the tires inflated. Change the oil. Clean it out once in awhile. This is old hat, common sense stuff many of us are doing anyway. Now you have another reason to feel good about it.

Rico at The Gadget Blog asks “How have high fuel prices affected your gadget-laden lifestyle?”

Really, if you’re not careful, you can take up your whole gadget budget ON your car (and as Rico points out, not all of them will work). There are probably more techno-trinkets for our cars now than ever before, but some are looking pretty interesting.

The PLX Kiwi, though a little pricey, seems like it will be effective in helping people use less gas — for life. It’s cute, too. Hand one of these babies to your teens with their first set of keys, and you’ll give them the driving lessons their instructors didn’t think to.

Shaped more like an iPod than a traditional diagnostic tool, you can plug it right into your car and it will tell you how many miles per gallon you’re currently getting, among other things. This is an excellent way to help drivers pick up skills to increase their fuel efficiency. The display can be personalized with your own images, and it’s small enough to be situated near your dash without causing a problem.

PLX Devices have an assortment of products for gadget geeks to drool over. Fortunately most of them aren’t $300 US like the Kiwi, but this little device might be worth it. (Of course, you could go with the uglier more sensibly priced ScanGuage II, but why would we do that??)

Source: Gas2.org

Image: PLXKiwi.com

As a homeschooler, especially as an unschooler, I know the sting of one freak family giving us all a bad name. I understand the stance of Wayne Gerdes, hypermiling guru and owner of CleanMPG.com, who released a statement refuting the recent advice of AAA on dangerous hypermiling techniques. But his main complaint isn’t about the safety of these things, but that they aren’t techniques informed hypermilers practice in the first place.

I can sympathize but I also know these things are among advice promoted by average Joe drivers. Drafting was a popular recommendation even way back in the stone age when I was a new driver. Overinflating your tires - past the manufacturer’s max inflation pressure - is a real technique promoted by some people who do consider themselves informed. And pulse and glide driving really is something you have to be knowledgeable on to be safe.

Had AAA used a different heading, “Dangerous Driving Techniques for Saving Gas” for instance, I don’t know if Gerdes would have had such a problem with it. Having coined the term, he has every reason in the world to be upset with people using it to push their own agenda, to hold back progress or justify people driving less vs. attempting to change their ways. From his statement, AAA refused to talk with him or include information in their statement against practices to distance things like tailgating as a practice apart from hypermiling. (Can I get a Boo Hiss Boo? One more reason to go with Better World Club.)

Gerdes promotes safer, slower driving techniques, and helps people develop the finer techniques of getting more out of their gasoline. Keys are concentrating on the road, and taking changes slow so you master them before moving on. Safety is widely discussed at the site, and on the forums, so anyone interested in learning safer driving skills for saving on gas should definitely check it out.

Source: CleanMPG.com