Fuel Efficient Driving

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Saving Fuel: road lingering is not a sign of dementia.

If choosing what one drives is the mother-load of fuel savings, how one drives it can be the gold flecks in the pan – meager perhaps, but consistent. The principle of driving for fuel conservation can be applied in any vehicle, however, and when applied in a gas guzzler, the savings can easily be enough to fuel a smaller vehicle – say, a motorscooter.

The key is anticipation

The key is anticipation -- reducing speed in advance of a looming obstacle by judiciously easing off on the throttle rather than sinking fuel into acceleration which will later be thrown away by braking. When approaching a red light, any throttle applied beyond that which is required to reach the signal at the next green light is wasted effort. Speeding forward only to come to a stop may well consume twice as much fuel as coasting leisurely toward the signal and, without having lost all momentum, resuming speed when it turns green. The same principle applies on the highway when congestion ahead promises to render any further acceleration pointless.

One cannot always be frugal and also considerate

Sometimes called "Sloth Coasting," this driving behavior may well irritate other drivers who do not understand that they aren't going to reach their destinations any earlier by racing toward red lights. Unfortunately, cross traffic, left-turners seeking to cross your path, or those wishing to turn right (where right on red is permissible) or left (where a left arrow may appear before the a green light does) do have a legitimate gripe if they are forced to wait as you progress leisurely along. There are times when consideration for others must take precedence over fuel conservation. In most cases however, these factors can also be anticipated and measures taken to avoid causing road rancor. It is the irate driver who has lost his right to wait at a red light (almost certainly the most frequently resentful of this practice) that deserves to be ignored.

Different thinking, same result

There are several ways to think about this process: anticipate by easing off on the throttle, avoid using the brake, or simply avoid, as much as possible, coming to a stop at all. On a scooter one could interpret this principle as: try to put your foot to the ground as seldom as possible.

Road lingering can improve the safety margin

Applying fuel conservation driving principles and thereby largely eliminating sudden stops and starts is also kinder to the vehicle and can substantially reduce wear. It can also be a lot of fun and can go as far as learning the period and sequence of traffic lights along commonly taken routes. Concentrating upon factors in the road ahead is just as essential to safety as to gas savings and thus serves a dual purpose. Most drivers tend to speed along until some obstacle or other prevents further progress, and then upon encountering it, whether it be a vehicle they creep along behind, or a temporary delay that must be waited out, they always find themselves without a clear path ahead. The fuel-efficient driver, on the other hand, often retains leading space ahead, seeing no need to speed towards a stop. This space, together with concentration upon anticipating conditions on the road ahead, also provides a margin of safety.

One may be regarded as a wassock

Unfortunately, the driver who adheres to these principles is frequently misunderstood and generally disparaged by those who mistake road lingering and velocity circumspection for dementia. Let's all help them understand.

Stop Signs: The Scourge of Fuel-Efficient Driving in the US

One roadblock to fuel-efficient driving that Americans suffer from is stop signs. Every time the vehicle is brought to a complete stop, losing all intertia, and then requires reaccellerating, a great deal of fuel is wasted. Much of the world (and a few partsof the US) have discovered that roundabouts are much more efficient, saving both time and fuel, as the vehicle need not stop if there is no traffic to deal with at the intersection. A few half-hearted attempts to experiment with roundabouts in Southern California have met with failure as Californians (at least) seem unable to figure out how to use them. See The Roundabout Way.