How to Improve Fuel Economy by Changing the Way You Drive

One of the best ways to improve your fuel economy is to change the way you drive. Speeding, accelerating, and braking hard can deplete efficiency by 33 percent. When you stop, start, or accelerate, your car has to overcome inertia. Inertia is the resistance an object has to a change in its state of motion. In order to get moving, or to stop, a car has to overcome inertia.

Overcoming inertia requires energy. When you're talking cars and energy, you're talking gas. You can use less energy to overcome inertia if you do it slowly. You should accelerate slowly from stops, allowing the car's momentum help it accelerate. Once the car is in motion, you should try to preserve that momentum by avoiding situations where it can be lost.

For example, you're driving down the road and see a light up ahead turn from yellow to red. Rather than keep your foot on the gas and brake at the last second, you should take your foot off the gas and slowly approach the light. Not only will coasting save gas, but you might not even have to come to a full stop before the light turns green again. This means that your car will have to overcome much less inertia to get going.


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