Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Drivers get hyper about saving gas
The keys to getting the most out of each tankful of gasoline are to slow down and drive sensibly. But police say there is little evidence motorists are heeding that advice.
"The number of tickets we are writing is not going down," said Virginia State Police Sgt. Franz Mahler, who is assigned to the Area 12 Office in Warrenton. "Troopers are still getting people driving [at speeds] in the high 90s or in the 100s on I-66."
The number of summonses issued to speeding motorists on the county's major secondary roads is also holding steady, Mahler said. Many of those being ticketed are not from this area, he added.
Mahler said the Fourth of July holiday weekend would be a good gage of people's driving habits. During typical holiday enforcement projects, troopers issue 600 to 900 summonses for traffic infractions, Mahler said.
Meanwhile, Maj. Paul Mercer of the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office said there hasn't been a drastic change in the number of summonses deputies are issued for speeding, aggressive driving and other traffic offenses.
"I would venture to say it has stayed about the same," Mercer said.
Going the extra mile...
According to the Department of Energy, driving habits make a huge difference in fuel economy.
Fuel efficiency decreases greatly at speeds greater than 60 mph. Aggressive driving — including hard braking and rapid acceleration — also reduce fuel economy.
Conversely, sensible driving can improve mileage by five to 33 percent. The equivalent gas savings is 20 cents to $1.35 per gallon.
By observing the speed limit, motorists can improve fuel economy by seven to 23 percent and get an equivalent gas savings of 29 to 94 cents per gallon.
Using the recommended grade of motor oil and replacing air filters can also help. The former can improve fuel economy by one to two percent; saving approximately four to eight cents per gallon. Motorists can save up to 41 cents per gallon by checking and replacing air filters on a regular basis.
Lessening cargo;, reducing aerodynamic drag by removing unused bike and luggage racks, and being selective about using the vehicle's air conditioner are additional things motorists can do to make the most of each gallon.
However some drivers are going to extremes to improve fuel efficiency. It's called "hypermiling" — and it's dangerous.
John Townsend is a spokesman for the mid-Atlantic chapter of the Automobile Association of America [AAA]. He said rising gasoline costs have prompted many motorists to save fuel by "drastically modifying driving and maintenance habits."
Many of the techniques they use to try to improve gas mileage are "extremely dangerous, sometimes illegal and should not be advocated," according to the organization.
The methods include tailgating behind larger vehicles such as 18-wheelers, turning off a vehicle or putting it in neutral to coast on the roadway, and rolling through stop signs. Others include driving at inconsistent speeds, over-inflating tires, and not slowing down on sharp curves or exit ramps.
"These practices can put motorists in a treacherous situation where they could lose power steering and brakes, or be unable to react to quickly changing traffic conditions," said Jeffrey Boone, an ASE master technician with the Mid-Atlantic AAA.
Mahler said troopers haven't seen any accidents directly related to hypermiling, but they are cracking down on tailgating and other illegal driving as a matter of course.
"We want to [do as much as we can] to prevent accidents from happening," Mahler said.
E-mail the reporter: abogdanovic@timespapers.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.