We have all seen the classic movies with the classic cars dragging down main. Or perhaps the scene where the hero needs to catch up with the bad guy to save the girl so he floors it, literally.
In both cases it seems there is a predicable sequence of events: the camera zooms in on the eyes, tension builds, the camera switches to a full view of the hero behind the wheel, one hand on the steering wheel and one hand coolly resting on the gear shift, then boom! A violent explosion of activity as the driver shifts into gear then slams his foot on to the accelerator forcing it to the ground.
There is even a close up of this part; the pedal actually hits the ground! And off they go. The race or chase is on and an intense action scene follows. Teenagers everywhere sit awe struck and curious, “could my car do that?” Adults and seasoned drivers flinch as they hear the guzzling sounds echo from the theater screen and they see imaginary dollar sings flowing from the exhaust pipes.
With gas prices spiking before winter where, once again, they will settle at a less than comfortable price per gallon, many responsible, if perhaps less than exciting drivers continually search for ways to conserve gasoline and their hard earned money. Common sense suggests that the heroes and villains in the previously described movies are not conservation conscious as most know that flooring your vehicle is as unnecessary as it is wasteful.
Quick acceleration from a stop sign or stop light does little for a person’s arrival time but when they step on the gas unnecessary amounts of fuel are transferred into the engine to gain the desired speed. To save money on gas simply adjust your acceleration speed to a slower, more fuel efficient pace. With traffic lights and speed limits, a slower acceleration will have little to no effect on a person’s arrival time at their chosen destination.
As winter comes around most people will be slowing down their vehicles acceleration due to weather but to make this a common practice can save the driver hundreds per year at the pump.
