To paraphrase the colonel in Apocalypse Now, we Americans love the smell of gasoline in the morning. Even with gas prices hitting $3.00 per gallon, we will not change our driving habits. I drive to work and home daily on a stretch of Interstate highway, and I generally poke along at 60 to 65 m.p.h. We have three lanes each way which is good. I can stay in the middle lane while the drivers practicing for the Grand Prix in their Hummers, big SUVs and pick-up trucks fly by in the inside lane. Some of them talk on their cell phones, probably griping about the price of gasoline.
There's an easy way to fight high gasoline prices: Slow down. The people who run the Edmunds.com web site studied various techniques that are often suggested to improve your gas mileage. They found that some of the suggestions actually will make a difference: Accelerate moderately, not like a jack rabbit (improves mileage about 30 percent or better), drive the speed limit (saves about 12 percent on average), and use cruise control on the open road, if you have it (about 7 percent). That's about a 50 percent savings. That effectively cuts the price of gas in half. If I sold gas at $1.50/gallon, do you suppose a line would form at the pumps? Sheesh - there would be a riot.
A few years ago I spent a lot of time on the road between home and the east coast of Florida. I discovered a cheap (free) way to make a long trip at a slower speed not merely tolerable but fun. Go to the library and pick up a book on tape, or CD, and let somebody read to you while you drive. I would cross the peninsula on S.R. 70 and watch the cows fly by at 70 m.p.h. (OK, gas was cheaper then) while listening to the reader. At the moment I am listening to the unabridged edition of Dracula, the book, not a sound track from a movie. On the relatively short drive to work it makes me want to slow down so I can hear more of what's coming next.
The only disadvantage is that other drivers are beginning to look like vampires, but I know the fast ones prefer gasoline over blood.
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Honestly. AMericans are lucky with their gas prices. It's hard to believe because we've been so spoiled by the cheapness of it all for so long.
But here in England its an easy run at $7-$8/gal. Swank London areas have hit 10ish. And they're just now thinking about moaning.
I agree....this is a good opportunity to slow down...to realise we can't go on like this forever.
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