William Atkins
Sunday, 06 July 2008 23:06
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
Actually, everybody around the world could slow down right down while driving your vehicles—it saves money along with helping our global oil crisis.
It, of course, will not end our oil crisis but it will save you money now. It will also alleviate our oil crisis in the short-term so that long-term measures can be implemented.
The
Department of Energy’s website states that fuel efficiency in motorized vehicles, on average (remember: each car is slightly different) decreases quite rapidly when traveling above 60 mph. It mentions that for every 5 mph over 60 mph, the cost to motorists is
“essentially an additional 30 cents per gallon in fuel costs.”
So, at 65 mph, on average, it costs you an additional 30 cents per gallon, at 70 mph an additional 60 cents per gallon, and at 75 mph an additional 90 cents per gallon. For a trip that uses 10 gallons of gasoline while traveling at an average speed of 75 mph, you are wasting $9 of your money.
Other ways are also possible to cut the amount of gas we use each day.
The Boston Globe article
“To save fuel, a return to 55 mph -- or a four-day workweek?”, states that, “In Utah, 17,000 of 24,000 state workers will take part in the Monday-through-Thursday, 10-hour-a-day experiment. Turning off the lights, the heat and the air conditioning on Fridays in 1,000 of 3,000 government buildings will save about $3 million a year out of a state budget of $11 billion…. The state's Department of Environmental Quality estimated employees in six buildings alone will save themselves more than $300,000 spent on gas to commute to work."
California Governor Arnold Scwarzenegger commented on ways drivers can drive less expensively. He said,
"Who can cut (costs) down is you, you, you and you. You can cut it down. Take your car, for instance. Go and get the perfect tire pressure. Tune up your engine. Drive slower." [Drive55.org: “
CA Governor urges drivers to slow down.”
Scwarzenegger goes on to say,
"Politicians have been throwing around all kinds of ideas in response to the skyrocketing energy prices, from the rethinking of nuclear power to pushing biofuels and more renewables and ending the ban on offshore drilling. But anyone who tells you this would bring down gas prices any time soon is blowing smoke. I think that people should really be in charge of their own destiny and how much they want to pay for fuel, not wait for the politicians"
Please read on for other ways to save money on gasoline right now.
