How Can You Help?

• Car or van pool to work to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads.
• Walk or bicycle with your child to school instead of driving them.
• Start a Walking School Bus program in your community.
• Plan ahead so you can combine trips.
• Reduce engine idling. Idling for more than half a minute burns more gas than it takes to restart the engine.
• Not topping off the tank when refueling. Make sure the gas cap fits properly to avoid spills. Refuel before 7am or after 4 pm.
• Don't tamper with the pollution controls and have the vehicle inspected regularly.
• Keep track of fuel economy. A loss of economy usually means an increase in emissions. Poorly inflated tires can also cause a loss in fuel economy.
• Watch the exhaust. If it is black, there is too much gas in the mixture and the fuel injection system needs to be checked. If the exhaust is blue, the car is burning oil and releasing excess hydrocarbons.
• Fix air conditioning leaks immediately.
• Pay attention to dashboard warning lights. Have the car checked out as soon as possible.
• Idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emission.
• Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes gas. It can lower your highway gas mileage 33% and city mileage 5%.
• Avoid high speeds. Above 60 mph, gas mileage drops rapidly. The fueleconomy.gov web site shows how driving speed affects gas mileage.
• Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
• Clear out your car; extra weight decreases gas mileage.
• Reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks. A roof rack or carrier provides additional cargo space and may allow you to buy a smaller car. However, a loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5%.