Save money and the environment while you drive. Go farther between fill-ups and reduce the wear and tear on your car.  This can add up to serious savings.  Both you and the environment will be the winners. The surest way you can improve your fuel cost problem is to change your motoring habits. Listed below, under six categories, are many effective methods of doing so.

PLAN AHEAD

• Drive less. Driving as little as possible is the best way to reduce the environmental impact of your transportation needs. Before getting into your car, ask yourself "Is this trip necessary?"!
• Choose a place to live that reduces your need to drive.
• Commit to car-free days each week.
• Bike or walk whenever possible. On short trips, try walking or bicycling. It's good exercise.
• Carpool. Share the gas bill and ride. Car pools reduce travel monotony and gas expense - all riders chip in to help you buy. Conversation helps to keep the driver alert. Pooling also reduces traffic congestion.
• Always use the shortest route and avoid sightseeing trips and bottlenecks.
• Avoid the ups and downs. Try to pick a route with fewer hills.  When you drive uphill, your mileage drops like a rock. 
• Try to pick a route with fewer stop signs and traffic lights to minimize stops and starts. Keep tuned to radio traffic reports & avoid traffic jams, other delays.
• Double up on errands. Organize activities and perform as many errands as possible in one trip. Make a list and do all the grocery shopping once or twice a week.
• If possible, avoid driving during rush-hour & other peak traffic periods.
• When bargain hunting, check newspaper ads and use your telephone.
• Do they deliver? Let them pay for the gas! Try mail order firms, too.
• Let the kids run some of the errands. Let them walk to school, too.
• Use mass transit   Public transportation may be cheaper, especially when traveling alone.

VEHICLE SELECTION

• If your family already has one car, consider trying to meet your travel needs without buying a second one.
• Operate as small and fuel-efficient a car as possible for your driving needs. (Small cars, weighing half as much as large cars, use about half as much gasoline!)

• Avoid cars with gas-consuming options such as air conditioning; power equipment such as window, door locks, etc.; automatic transmission, etc.
• In hot climates, drive a car with light colored exterior and interior, to reflect light, heat. Tinted glass also prevents heat buildup.

GASOLINE PURCHASES

• Shop around for "self service" gas stations with the lowest gasoline prices.
• Buy gasoline during coolest time of day - early morning or late evening is best. During these times gasoline is densest.
• Use the lowest octane gas that won't make your engine knock.
• Avoid filling gas tank to top and don't overfill your gas tank. It could leak or spill in heat or on a hill. Never over-fill gas tank past the first "click" of fuel nozzle, the extra fuel you are pumping to “top-off“ the tank will only be drawn back-up into the vapor recovery hose of the automatic shut-off nozzle.

MAINTENANCE TIPS

Yours may not be the latest hybrid or most fuel efficient car on the road today, but how you drive and take care of your car affects its fuel economy and emissions levels. Follow these few simple rules:

• Keep track of your fuel economy to let you know when something is malfunctioning. A drop in your car's fuel economy can be a sign of engine trouble. To do so note the odometer reading and # of gallons you purchase each time you fill up. Divide the # of miles traveled between fill-ups by the # of gallons purchased.
• Keep your car properly tuned for top fuel efficiency. Regular tune-ups ensure best economy; check owner's manual for recommended maintenance intervals. Pay special attention to maintaining clean air filters... diminished air flow increases gas waste. Simple maintenance such as regular oil and air-filter changes and spark plug replacements will lengthen the life of your car, improve fuel economy, & minimize emissions.
• Keep tires properly inflated at all times, to the maximum limit specified by manufacturer.  This saves 5-10% in fuel purchases simply by reducing the amount of drag your engine must overcome. (Check pressure when cold). Each tire should be periodically spun and balanced. Use radial tires for less friction between tire and road and for fuel-saving.
• Follow the regular maintenance intervals for lubrications, transmission and drive train components, including wheel bearings. Keep wheels aligned for better mileage - longer tire life, too.
• Remove items that cause wind resistance, such as luggage racks and vinyl tops. Rough surfaces or a fancy sun roof disturb otherwise smooth air flow around a car's body and reduce mileage.
• Keep brakes properly adjusted. Dragging brakes increase resistance.
• Inspect suspension and chassis parts for occasional misalignment. Bent wheels, axles, bad shocks, broken springs, etc. create engine.
• Pack as little in your car as necessary so it has less weight to carry. Remove excess weight from trunk or inside of car (extra tires, back seats, unnecessary heavy parts) for it reduces mileage.

ENGINE WARM-UP

• Avoid prolonged warming up of engine, even on cold mornings - 30 to 45 seconds is plenty of time. Today's cars are designed to be driven almost immediately.  During start-up, your engine burns extra gasoline.

DRIVING HABITS - HOW TO DRIVE ECONOMICALLY

• Avoid rough roads whenever possible. Dirt or gravel robs you of up to 30% of your gas mileage. Use alternate roads that are safer, shorter and straighter. Compare traveling distance differences - remember that corners, curves and lane-jumping require extra gas. The shortest distance between two points is always straight.
• When you’re sitting still don't start and stop engine needlessly. However, letting your engine idle for more than a minute burns more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. If you stop for 15 seconds, shut the engine off. You can do this even at a traffic light, if you can see the yellow for the other direction.  And don’t run the engine for the air conditioning while parked — open the windows!  Save money & breathe better air.
• When driving, keep your eyes moving and your feet still!  Drive evenly with a steady foot. Avoid jiggling the accelerator. Use only your right foot for accelerating and braking. Do not rest left foot on brake pedal while driving to avoid accidentally riding the brake and using excessive gas. Keep your steering wheel still too. The more you weave back and forth, the farther your car has to travel and the more gas is consumed.
• Eliminate jack-rabbit starts. They cost you dearly. You’ll do better with moderate acceleration.
• Don't speed. Drive moderately & steadily. Slowing down or speeding up wastes fuel. Never exceed legal speed limit. Traveling at 55 mph gives you up to 21% better mileage when compared to speed limits of 65-70 mph. High-speed driving increases both fuel use and emissions that cause pollution.
• Stoplights are usually timed for your motoring advantage. By traveling steadily at the legal speed limit you boost your chances of having the "green light" all the way. Time your approach to traffic lights to try to arrive on the green.  If a light is red, slow down early, traffic permitting, to give it time to turn green. 
• When you stop, your brakes absorb the energy of your car’s forward motion, energy from a shot of fuel (which you paid for) injected into your engine. When you stop, that energy is lost.  To get going again takes another shot of fuel. Anticipate your stops.  Look for situations out ahead that will require you to slow or stop.  Avoid panic stops. When possible, coast to stops.
• Shift into high gear as soon as possible. If you have automatic transmission, lift your foot from the accelerator about one second early. Traveling at fast rates in low gears can consume up to 45% more fuel than is needed. Manual shift driven cars allow you to change to highest gear as soon as possible, thereby letting you save gas if you "nurse it along". However, if you cause the engine to "bog down", premature wearing of engine parts occurs.
• Automatic transmissions should be allowed to cool down when your car is idling at a standstill, e.g. railroad crossings, long traffic lights, etc. Place gear into neutral position. This reduces transmission strain and allows transmission to cool.
• Keep windows closed when traveling at highway speeds. Open windows cause air drag, reducing your mileage by 10%.
• Use air conditioning only when necessary. Try opening the window. Auto air conditioners can reduce fuel economy by 10% to 20%. Heater fan, power windows and seats increase engine load; the more load on your engine, the less miles per gallon.
• Think ahead when approaching hills. If you accelerate, do it before you reach the hill, not while you're on it. Build up speed before you reach it, then maintain your speed on the slope. When you drive uphill, let your speed drop a bit.  You’ll still have a drop in fuel mileage, but it won’t be quite as severe. 
• Put gravity to work for you. When you stop while going uphill, don’t maintain your speed to the last moment and then use your brakes to stop.  Instead, ease off early and let gravity do the work, maybe not needing brakes.
• Coast down hills. When you start, while going downhill, accelerate gently and then let gravity share the work of bringing you up to speed.
• Park car so that you can later begin to travel in forward gear; avoid reverse gear maneuvers to save gas.
• Avoid "revving" the engine, especially just before you switch the engine off; this wastes fuel needlessly and washes oil down from the inside cylinder walls.