Considering the cost of fuel in the modern day, it only makes sense to take the time to make every possible effort and avoid using too much fuel. While it is very likely that you have already heard all of the advice about keeping a specific tire pressure and keeping a tuneup on your car, the truth is, the best way to conserve fuel is by improving your driving habits. Naturally, many individuals will fight against the idea of driving slower. But by slowing down, you can improve your fuel mileage by a tremendous amount. Experts agree that sudden acceleration and deceleration are the leading causes of wasted fuel, making it only logical to take off very slowly from stop lights and stop signs and decelerate slowly as well. In many cases, coasting along in neutral on the freeway or highway can save you a tremendous amount of gas as well, providing that conditions are right for this type of travel. While it is true that driving extraordinarily slowly can be irritating to traffic around you, it is also true that sudden acceleration and deceleration are proven to cause a tremendous amount of wasted fuel, meaning that anyone who is accelerating past you or erratically changing lanes and sometimes even gesturing rudely at you is wasting a tremendous amount of fuel, made worse by their angry reaction to your driving habits.
Driving slowly and taking off from stoplights at a snails pace will certainly not win you any popularity points with the drivers around you. But it will certainly save you a tremendous amount of wasted fuel over time. In fact, sudden acceleration is considered to be the worst possible treatment of your vehicle in general, meaning that if you wish to keep your vehicle running longer, you would be wise to accelerate slowly and decelerate slowly in order to preserve the drive train and brakes as well as shocks and other basic systems. Naturally, the concept of driving slowly and taking off slowly meets with a tremendous amount of resistance from people all around the world. Nobody wants to drive slow, it’s boring and everybody hates it. The fact that nobody wants to drive slowly is evidence enough that this is exactly the type of behavior that you should adopt. Generally, when someone does not want to do something, it is almost always the best option and makes the most sense.
If you need further proof of the logic of driving slowly, simply pay attention to the older drivers on the road. While you might simply believe that due to advanced age these individuals are driving slowly, the truth is, with age comes wisdom. These older drivers are well aware of the wasted fuel that comes from rapid acceleration and deceleration and they are doing everything that they can to save money because they are very likely on a fixed income. With this type of extreme effort, older drivers can be a good source of education and knowledge for younger drivers who still feel that they are in some type of race and push their vehicle as hard as they can in order to arrive at their destination faster. This type of behavior is the worst possible treatment for your vehicle, leading to reduced lifespan as well as increased fuel consumption. By simply paying attention to the damage that you are doing to your vehicle as well as the incredible amount of fuel that you’re wasting, you can improve your driving habits in order to provide yourself with a tremendous level of savings over time.