Save on gas when using the interstate
The American Interstate system. What a great way to make it around to various travel destinations within our borders. You can drive unhindered, free from those nagging signs encountered when traversing on the regular highway. You know the ones; Speed limit reduced ahead, 45mph. Reduced speed ahead, 35mph. Speed limit 25mph. You’ll also run into those pesky podunk yellow blinking lights upon entering a Mayberry type of town, followed by several stop lights of course. However, despite being able to arrive at your final destination sooner by using the interstate, to save on gas, you just might want to release some of the lead from your foot.
Passenger and backseat drivers world-wide finally have a reasonable excuse (although, to those who suffer from “leadfootophilia”, there may never be a “reasonable excuse”) when they say, “Slow-down!” Driving above the speed limit drains that precious commodity that enables you to get to and fro. How much gas is lost when driving above the speed limit? Approximately $.30 a gallon of gas is consumed for each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph.[1]
Thirty-cents alone may not seem like a significant number, so it may help to see how much gas is wasted by driving excessive speeds by doing the math. Assuming you have a 25 gallon gas tank and you start your journey on an interstate with a 70 mph speed limit, you are already losing $.60/gallon…$15 per 25 gallons of gasoline.
You can also look at this from another perspective. If you paid $3.74 per gallon, add another $.30/gallon to your cost for just one tank of gas in which you make a trip going just 5 mph over sixty…That is the equivalent of paying $4.04/gallon. Instead of forking out $93.50 for a full tank of gas, you are actually paying $101. You may not see the extra at the tank, but you’re paying for it regardless.
“Well, sorry Charlie, but the speed limit on the interstates are usually between 65-70 mph and there is no way I’ll drive 60.” In that case, drive only the maximum speed limit. You can also take comfort in knowing that not too many people will brave driving the interstates under the speed limit…lest they suffer umpteen non-flying birds being waved at them.
Driving 60 mph on the interstate is not realistic for most people (it isn’t for me either), but you can still save on gas by keeping as close to the maximum speed limit as possible. If you find it hard to lay off the gas pedal, take advantage of cruise control and press your driving foot on the floorboard. Finally, when you do fill up, help yourself save money by using your gas rebate credit card.
[1] Study by West, B.H., R.N. McGill, J.W. Hodgson, S.S. Sluder, and D.E. Smith, Development and Verification of Light-Duty Modal Emissions and Fuel Consumption Values for Traffic Models, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, March 1999.