This led me to clutch in (it’s a 5-speed manual) while going down hills, while still maintaining the speed limit. I also plan my trips, knowing where I am going and the best routes to get there. Finally, I really try to do what’s best for traffic patterns. One thing that I have found to be a huge benefit is reading the lights ahead and coasting up to a red. I always think of the U2 lyric “running to stand still” when doing this.

However, all around me, I see people with horrible driving patterns! Here I am trying to squeeze out every extra MPG, while people all around drive with reckless abandon! Here are some things I notice with others driving (and this is the MAJORITY of drivers, not a small fraction):

• Full acceleration leaving a light. These are large mini-vans (oxymoron?) and large SUVs
• Accelerating towards red lights! It’s obvious that the light turned red and you are a good distance away, why do you keep on the gas??

Those are the major issues I see on a daily basis. If people would only adjust their driving patterns a slight amount, the percentage of fuel used in the US could be dramatically reduced (1-2% is a HUGE difference).

Maybe some day, everyone will have at least a 28.8MPG long-term average like I do…