Transport

Basics

• Live near public transportation, and use it whenever possible
• Choose urbanization, instead of suburbanization.
• Ride a bike or walk.
• Check into telecommuting, carpooling and public transit, to cut mileage and car maintenance costs.
• Combine errands into one trip. Several short trips, each one taken from a cold start, can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.

Cars

• The next time you buy a car, thing about fuel efficiency and emission. Today’s most fuel-efficient cars get about 35 – 40 miles per gallon; hybrids can get as many as 50 – 60 miles per gallon.

Driving

• Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes gas. It can lower highway gas mileage by 33% and city mileage by 5%.
• Avoid high speeds. Driving above 60 mph decreases gas mileage.
• When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces wear.
• Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Car Use

• Use air conditioning only when necessary.
• 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%.
• Use the grade of motor oil recommended by your car's manufacturer. Using a different motor oil can lower your gasoline mileage by 1%-2%.

Car Care

• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned, to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%.
• Get regular engine tune-ups and car maintenance checks to avoid fuel economy problems (due to worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, or transmission problems).
• Replace clogged air filters, to protect your engine and improve gas mileage by as much as 10%.