1. Carpool whenever possible, like when taking your kids and their classmates to school. You'll save money on gas, and significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Close windows at high speeds. Don't drive with the windows open unless you keep your speed under 50 mph. Driving with the windows open at highway speeds increases aerodynamic drag on the vehicle and lowers fuel economy.
3. Use cruise control. Cruise control maintains a constant flow of fuel to your engine, making it more fuel-efficient. If you have a hard time keeping a steady foot on the gas pedal along the highway, cruise control helps prevent needless speed changes, saving you gas and money.
4. Observe the speed limit, and you'll make traffic cops and your wallet happy. When you drive faster than 60 miles per hour, you are lowering your fuel efficiency and gas money!
5. Regularly check the air in your tires. If the air pressure is low in your car tires, you are reducing your gas mileage, and increasing risk of accidents. By making sure they're properly inflated, you will save money, and keep yourself safe on the road. If you don't know how to measure air pressure, ask your local mechanic or check out these nifty devices that do it automatically for you:
http://www.greendirectorymontana.com/dir/bozeman/auto_accessories/right_psi/6. Use the correct motor oil as recommended by your car's maker. Using a different motor oil can reduce your car's gas efficiency by 2 percent, but switching to the right grade will save you more than 10 gallons of gasoline per year.
7. Combine your errands into one trip instead of taking the car out every night for a carton of milk. You'll save gas, time and wear and tear on your car by running one, multi-errand trip.
8. Avoid idling your engine when you're waiting in your car. If you'll be stationary for more than 30 seconds, it makes sense to turn off the engine. If you avoid idling for about 3 minutes per day, you'll save more than 10 gallons of gas per year. Today's engines don't need a warm up, so start the car immediately and gently drive away.
9. Use a commercial car wash instead of a hose and bucket, and you'll save up to 100 gallons of water, in addition to keeping mucky, soapy used water out of lakes and rivers.
10. Accelerate and brake smoothly. Accelerating smoothly from a stop and braking softly conserves fuel. Fast starts, weaving in and out of traffic and hard braking wastes fuel and wears out some of the car components, such as brakes and tires. Maintain a safe distance between vehicles and anticipate traffic conditions to allow for more time to brake and accelerate gradually.
