Words of encouragement have been uttered more frequently lately as the price of gas continues to soar and drivers find themselves trying to persuade their gas gauge needle not to move towards the dreaded “empty”. When the time arrives to fill up the gas tank, drivers often find themselves feeling powerless over the fluctuating gas prices. The key to gaining more control over how often you find yourself at the pumps is practicing smart driving. Here are some helpful tips on how to make your vehicle more fuel efficient and your gas dollar go that extra kilometre:

• Keep a steady pace and follow posted speed limits. In most instances, when highway cruising speed increases from 90 km/h to 120 km/h fuel consumption also increases by approximately 20 percent. For highway driving use cruise control to maintain a constant speed.
• Drive assertively, not aggressively. Braking hard and starting fast uses up a lot of fuel. Be aware of the traffic around you and keep alert for any unexpected disturbances up ahead. When passing or merging in faster traffic, accelerate smoothly.
• Plan ahead to give yourself extra time and to try and do more in one trip rather than two or more. Combining errands, avoiding high traffic regions and leaving plenty of time to arrive at your destination are ways of avoiding excess fuel consumption.
• Unless you are sitting in traffic, turn off the engine if you are going to be stopped for any extended period of time. By choosing to shut off your vehicle, instead of leaving it to idle, saves you gas and is much better for your engine and the environment.
• Travel light and remove any unneeded items from your vehicle that may be causing you to carry excess weight. This will cut down on unnecessary emissions and extra fuel loss.
• Keep your vehicle maintained. Following the recommended maintenance schedule, as indicated in your owner’s manual, is a sure way to cut out unnecessary fuel consumption. By adhering to the guidelines above, you will be driving smarter and using less gas. There are additional benefits when drivers follow a more fuel efficient routine, including; decreasing the amount of environmentally harmful carbon dioxide, improving safety on the streets by eliminating aggressive driving, and saving you money on long-term repairs to your vehicle through routine preventative maintenance. So keep uttering words of encouragement to your gas gauge needle and follow our helpful advice to keep to go that extra kilometre!