I drive like a grandma...

Yeah, it's true. And as of late, I've been blogging like a grandma. Sorry for generalizing if you happen to have a blog saavy grandma.

Back to the subject at hand - my driving.

I've been much more aware of my driving habits ever since I've purchased my little hybrid horsey. Not so much because I'm trying to save on fuel, although that is a goal, but because I'm very interested in energy conservation in general, on many different levels. Further increasing my desire to follow my energy usage, the vehicle comes with a built in mpg meter, that can be set to begin averaging at any time, whether in motion or not. It's actually quite accurate over the span of a tank: +/- about 4%. I think I stare at that thing more than the road, which I'm sure is safe.

Here comes the shocker: a ridiculous amount of fuel is spent during acceleration. I know, a revolutionary rediscovery of newton's second law. Seriously though, at a steady 45 mph, I get about 50 mpg!

I've been averaging 29-30 mpg's over the past few months during summer, and during rush hour(s), which is pretty decent. My low was when we went to California, and my little fuel saver did horribly - somewhere in the 23-25 mpg's (@70-75 mph). Yeah I know, don't drive so fast (this is what I'm learning).

I've noticed that peeps with my previous driving habits (who I've now dubbed 'suicidal', hardly fair) are very annoyed by my slow acceleration. They careene by only to slam on the brakes because they couldn't see the red light 200 ft. ahead of them. Best feeling in the world? Having an arrogant look on my face as I pass them, because we both know they've been idling at a light for two minutes.

Yes, kind of smug. I apologize. But here's the rub: we bitch and moan about our dependence on foreign oil, gas prices, and critique each and every member of the white house about what they're doing about it. And yet here are some immediate changes we can make to our driving habits that would both reduce demand for petrol and increase safety (another side affect of simply slowing down), and yet most people demand that driving like a nutcase is a right given to them by God. Well I asked him, and he had little to do with the invention of the automobile.

Suffice it to say, I'm going to try some hypermiling, without any of the extreme measures (see 'advanced techniques' towards the bottom). My goal is to get around 45 mpg. I'll keep you posted...