“Hypermiling” has become all the rage in the media sources I frequent (in order of its appearance: Wired, NPR, and GroovyGreen), but it’s always seemed too dangerous and requiring too much thought. I learned to drive on the Autobahn, where there is no speed limit, only a minimum, and a posted “recommendation” of 120kph (about 75mph); where I rarely went less than 160kph, and often had occasion to cruise closer to 200kph (about 125mph); where I once hit 210kph and still got passed.
But the most recent article in GroovyGreen (linked to above) and my most recent fill-up of $60 convinced me that I needed to do something to change my driving habits. So I turned cruise control on (this is a switch on my car, so it stays on even when I turn off the car) and set it whenever I can. Here comes the kicker: I set it to the speed limit. This is new to me and has brought greater zen to my driving. I hang out in the slow lane, passing slower cars languidly, merging away from on-ramps and vehicles on the shoulder, and getting passed by just about everyone. And it doesn’t bother me. Tailgaters amuse me and I no longer antagonize them (I have been known to turn my lights on to simulate brake lights, or simply brake…). I generally stay in the lane that is going my speed, merging away for faster cars when necessary.
I haven’t yet had to fill up again, so I can’t yet say whether this has made any difference to my pocketbook, but it does leave me arriving calmer, driving more nicely, and I’ve not noted any real change in the amount of time it takes me to get places. Ten to twenty miles per hour difference only makes a difference if you can maintain that speed for close to an hour.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Lessie // Aug 2, 2008 at 5:45 am
Ah yes, when my folks come out to Idaho now (from Oklahoma), they drive 55 mph the entire way. I’ve taken to driving at the speed limit as well, though, and even slower in town (only by a couple miles per hour) and also trying to leave earlier so I don’t have to rush to speed up and slow down as much. Also, on the weekends, I try to take my bike as much as possible. But I live down town right now, so that’s possible.
2 John // Aug 2, 2008 at 9:13 am
Freeway speed = in the top 10% but not quite the top 5% of the fastest cars on the road. City streets: about 4mph over the speed limit (most major streets around here have a posted 45-50 mph limit). Just enough to stay out of ticketing zone I guess.
Fortunately for the planet, I don’t drive much. I commute by bike, and even my longer (but still local) trips I tend to take by bike, bus and train. One of my biggest changes has been to replace my weekly therapeutic Borders Books runs so that most are by bike (80 min round trip) instead by car (30 min round trip).
Finally, Google maps has this great feature, so that when you chart directions, there is a public transportation alternative that also estimates gas prices for the trip. I hate to say this, but it was a wake up call when I saw that even local jaunts were costing me $4 or $5 per outing
3 xJane // Aug 2, 2008 at 2:30 pm
heh, you should switch to therapeutic Barnes & Noble runs…they donate to liberals.
4 wren // Aug 2, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I am glad to drive very little since I moved. I now get an additional discount on my car insurance since I’ll put on fewer than 6K miles per year now.
I monitor while I drive and have tracked my mpg for years based on miles driven/gallons used. Driving slower (and not to the point of being dangerous) is definitely a gas saver on the interstate.
5 xJane // Aug 4, 2008 at 9:35 am
I got an extra 50 miles to my tank (and that includes two cheats: one because my friend was late for his train and the other to keep up with my husband in his new car :-p), which increased my mpg by a good 4 miles. w00t! I don’t konw that I’ll be going down to 55mph any time soon, although I’ve heard that that’s even better…I’ll just stick to whatever the signs tell me.
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