Top Tips to Save Gas

The relentless rise of gas prices has us all a bit crazy right now, especially at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, when we would rather be taking a holiday from panic at the pump.

Here are some ways you can increase the fuel efficiency of Old Breakdown and squeeze more miles out of every high-priced gallon --

Check your tires -- Experts estimate that U.S. drivers waste nearly 3 Billion gallons of gas each year by driving on tires that are not inflated properly. If yours are under-inflated by 5-8 PSI, you are losing a couple of miles per gallon. Depending on how much you drive, that can add up to wasting enough gas this year to pay for a week's worth of groceries to feed your family. Always check your tires when they are cold, since driving even a short distance to the gas station can change the reading.

Slow down -- According to the Department of Energy, for every 5 mph over 55 mph you drive, is costing you 20 cents a gallon. Driving at 55 instead of 65 or 75 mph also reduces emissions. Not to mention reducing traffic deaths. At 55mph, a vehicle travels the length of a football field in just four seconds. It's less than 2 seconds at 75 mph. Wouldn't you rather have an extra couple of seconds to react to an emergency?

Step on the brake and gas gently -- Jack-rabbit starts and slam-dunk stops waste gas, so be more gentle with that gas pedal. div>

Lighten the load -- Get the junk out of the trunk. Every extra pound you carry around reduces how many miles you can squeeze out of that lemon you used to love.

Drive Safely this Fourth of July Holiday

The July Fourth holiday weekend is one of the most popular family getaways, a great time to drive to the beach, lake or a friend's backyard barbecue. It's also one of the most deadly times of the year on our roads.

An insurance industry analysis of data for the ten years from 1995-2005 shows that the day July 4th is actually the single most deadly day of the year, while July 2nd and 3rd are not far behind. Since the July 4, 2008 falls on a Friday, law enforcement officials are especially concerned that this year's Independence Day holiday could be a very deadly one.

To combat this, the Governors Highway Safety Association is funding extra enforcement efforts focusing on such safety issues as seat belt use, speeding, drunk driving, and an activity not enough drivers think is dangerous -- driving with one hand while holding a cellphone in the other. Talking while holding a cellphone is dangerous enough, but it is simply incoprehensible anybody is idiotic enough to take their eyes off the road long enough to either to dial or text message. But they do. And those people are beyond dumb. They are flat out dangerous.

Five states have laws prohibiting driving while talking on a handheld cellphone -- California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington, plus the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. The rules in California and Washington go into effect on July first, in time for the deadly driving days around the Fourth of July.

Four states ban text messaging while driving -- Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington, and other states have introduced similar legislation.

Great drives are safe drives. This Fourth of July weekend, slow down -- you'll save gas and you'll drive more in control. Don't drink and drive. Don't text and drive. Don't dial and drive.

Save Gas and Money With Your Tires

The wrong pressure in your tires could be costing you as much as $800 a year in wasted gas. For great drives and fuel efficiency, adjust your tires properly.

There are some 250 million vehicles on the road in the United States. How much money and gas do you think we could save if everybody's tires were inflated properly?

$23 billion and 3.3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions could be saved -- not to mention millions of gallons of high-priced gas -- if all our tires were properly inflated.

So forgive the really bad pun -- but -- the only good inflation is proper tire inflation.

Tire pressure changes one pound for every 10 degree change in outside temperature, so warmer spring temperatures mean it is an ideal time to check tire pressure.

Always check pressure when the tires are cold, since driving even a couple of miles to the gas station can provide a false reading.

• Under-inflation generally provides a smoother ride, but it also causes tires to wear out at the sides, and it wastes gas because tires need more power to push the vehicle.


• Higher pressure generally results in improved steering response and fuel economy, but a stiffer ride, and it wears out the tread in the center.

Even the experts get it wrong. Top automotive website Edmunds.com tested vehicles driven by 212 of their employees and found a bunch substiantially under-inflated and wasting gas.

Edmunds.com (full disclosure here -- I write for them occasionally) discovered they would save nearly 6,000 gallons of gas a year and about $20,000 of their boss' money, by keeping tires properly inflated.

So go check your tires. It could make your great drive more fuel efficient.