We are a nation of drivers. Nearly 60% of American households have 2 or more cars, and 8% have 4 or more. When George W. Bush said in his 2006 State of the Union that we’re “addicted to oil," he could just as easily have said that we’re "addicted to cars."
 
In the average household, driving is a whopping 12-20% of energy usage. The really crazy part is that some of this energy is a total waste. We’re taking too many unnecessary car trips and we’re driving old models that get few miles per gallon. And we’re overlooking easy opportunities to save gas, which, especially with current gas prices, is the equivalent of throwing money away. Sure, sprawling neighborhoods can make living without a car difficult, but there are many ways to change our driving habits in small but important ways that save money and energy with the added bonus of better health. By combining basic car maintenance with some new driving habits, you can improve the overall fuel efficiency of your vehicle by 1/3.

And then there’s that ugly feature of modern life – congestion. 1/6th of all the oil imported from the Gulf is wasted in traffic jams, which impacts national security and soldiers’ lives, as well as air quality and quality of life issues. Sure it takes a little work, but try and reschedule your daily commute or look for alternate routes. We recently took city streets rather than an extremely congested LA freeway and cut our drive time in half, even with traffic lights). And use public transportation, at least some of the time, if it’s available in your location. As a bonus you can read, work or rest and avoid a bit of stress - always something to aim for.

DRIVING TIPS

• Buy a high mpg car. Start with the basics – the car itself. Turns out that only 15% of the total energy consumed by a car is in the manufacturing. The other 85% is all about the driving. So, if you’re looking to buy, getting a high mpg model is one of the biggest energy saving decisions you can make. You can bank on keeping $800-$1400 in your wallet at today’s gas prices. And according to a recent report, the current CAFÉ standard improvements can result in an average $8,000 saved over the lifetime of a new car. There are over 125 2012 model-year cars that get 27 mpg or more. Use the driving calculator at wattzon.com/track-and-monitor#driving to get the specifics on all cars rated by the EPA over the past 20 years and calculate your annual driving costs. And then buy the most fuel efficient car that meets your needs and budget. For more information, visit www.greencarreports.com and check out our Hybrid Car widget.
• Lighten up. 50% of your car’s energy goes to acceleration. “Jack-rabbit” acceleration and hard braking can use up to 40% more fuel, while adding 5 times more toxic emissions and saving you less than 5% of travel time. A light touch is a habit worth getting used to.
• Re-think the speed limit. When you go from 55mph to 75mph, your fuel consumption goes up by about 20%. That’s because fuel efficiency decreases at a greater rate over 60mph. Cruise control helps in maintaining a steady speed. And remember, in this age of budget cuts, speeding tickets are easy income for your Police Department.
• Rethink and plan local trips. More than 50% of driving trips are 10 miles or less – meaning that a lot of driving is super-local. This creates some very specific opportunities for saving energy by consolidating trips to the market, bank and drugstore. Scope out the best routes, avoiding construction sites and other congested spots. You’ll save fuel and time.
• Pledge to drive less. Walk, bike, carpool and use mass transit more and you’ll save one pound of CO2 for every mile you don’t drive. Then add improved air quality, personal fitness and savings from ever increasing gas prices. No downsides to this one.
• Carpool. Your car’s energy efficiency will jump when you add a passenger or two to your daily commute or school drop-off and pickup routine. Plus, isn’t it more fun to drive with buddies?
• Telecommute. If your office is open to it (or if you’re good at talking people into things!), arrange to work from home one day a week. Simply eliminating those two car trips (there and back) once every seven days can reduce your gas use by 5-10%. Tell your boss it’s for the good of the planet.