We’re all working hard to change our habits and decrease the impact we have on the environment, and for most of us, our cars might be the biggest pollutant we own. Learning how to save gas, and in turn produce less harmful emissions, is important if we’re serious about going green.
Don’t Leave Your Car in Idle
Idling cars still create pollution. Consider that for every 10 seconds you leave your car idling, you’re using as much gas as it takes to re-start your car engine. Using this knowledge, it’s quite clear that if you’re going to be idling for longer than 10 seconds, you should turn your car engine off. Not only will you save gas, but you’ll stop producing emissions for standing still. If you’re in traffic, it’s not worth turning the car on and off as you stop, but if you stop somewhere, leaving your car running while you wait is the wrong thing to do.
Start a Carpool
The best way to contribute to the environment and be a greener driver is by not driving, and that’s where the carpool comes into play. Not only will taking one car instead of two or three a day save on pollution and cut down on emissions, you’ll save a lot of money on gas because your bill will be split by the number of people in the car, you’ll get to use the carpool lanes, and your drive will be less boring since you’ll have some company.
Service Your Car Regularly
Car services are essential for keeping your car in the best shape possible. Services remove old, unhealthy fluids and replace them with new ones, as well as replace things like air filters that help to remove particulates from making their way into your engine. After a good service, follow it up with a nice car wash in San Diego. Your car should burn less fuel and run better, leading to lower emissions overall. Don’t forget to keep your tires inflated properly too to contribute to better fuel efficiency.
Watch Your Speed
Driving everywhere as fast as you can be fun, but it’s dangerous and uses far more fuel than maintaining a nice lower cruising speed. According to some tests, you’re going to use the equivalent of 10c more fuel per gallon for every 5 miles an hour your speed creeps above 60 miles per hour. That’s a really good reason to keep your speed low.
Don’t Carry Unnecessary Cargo
Open up your trunk and take out everything in there that you don’t need. Any extra weight means your engine is working harder to move your car forward, and that means extra petrol burn. The less you have in your car, the lighter it will be. Move everything you’re not using to the garage and save on gas and emissions.
These are just five of many ways you can become a more environmentally conscious driver. After all, our planet is the only one we have and making small changes to the way we live can have a big impact over time.
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