Eco Driving: Saving Gas Saves you Green

According to an article in the St. Petersburg Times, no matter what type vehicle you drive you can save money by making a few small changes. It will help reduce the amount of gas you use and cut down on carbon dioxide emissions. "The key to ecodriving is that anyone can do it, in any vehicle, and best of all, it's easy," said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Below is a list of ideas for green driving.

1. Avoid rapid starts and stops. Gentle acceleration and braking saves you money.
2. Keep on rolling. Anticipate stops ahead of time and try to coast whenever possible.
3. Use air-conditioning at higher speeds. Air-conditioning can reduce mileage as much as 20 percent, but driving with the windows down can reduce fuel economy through aerodynamic drag. So, when driving at slower speeds open those windows. At higher speeds us the a/c.
4. Avoid idling.
5. Maintain optimum speed. Drive the speed limit. This can improve your gas mileage by 23%.
6. Plan trips to take the shortest route.
7. Use the highest gear possible. Use overdrive gearing when possible, such as on the highway.

These are tips that were listed in the article. They have included a website, www.ecodrivingusa.com.