If you drive your car everyday, you might be wondering: “Why are gas prices so high?” You are not alone because that has been the concern of many car owners for many years.

Blame the high crude oil prices and the level of gasoline demand relative to supply for the incessant increase in retail gasoline prices. The prices of crude oil surge when there is greater demand than supply for it. Greater demand for gasoline across the globe puts much pressure on the available supplies. The competition among local retail gas companies and the seasonal demand for gasoline and other petroleum products cause the fluctuation or the rapid rise of gas prices. The increase in gas prices speed up when the supply of crude oil is disrupted or when there are issues with delivery pipelines and oil refineries. (more…)

As a car owner, you know too well that filling up your car’s fuel tank is a necessary evil. After all, fuel is the lifeblood of your car. If your car guzzles more fuel than it should, then you’ve got to learn how to improve your gas mileage before nothing is left in your pocket.

Regardless of the type of vehicle you drive, you can do something to maximize your fuel consumption as well as to save on gas and money. The following is a list of ways on how to improve your gas mileage.

Photo by: futureatlas.com, Creative Commons

1. Maintain your vehicle regularly.

This is the golden rule for every car owner. One of the benefits of keeping your car well-maintained is an improved fuel economy, meaning your car is able to travel more miles using a certain amount of gas. Aside from that, regular maintenance ensures that your car performs well at all times. Vehicle maintenance entails the use of right grade of motor oil and the right octane gas as recommended in your owner’s manual.

Also, proper maintenance involves checking the different parts of your car that directly affect fuel economy. Inspect your car for a clogged fuel filter, oxideized spark plugs, electrical leaks on the ignition wires, proper inflation on your tires, and faulty cold air intake. These problems can definitely hurt your vehicle’s fuel mileage. Replace the defective auto components right away—this is how to improve your gas mileage dramatically.

Washing and waxing your car regularly leads to about 7% improvement in fuel efficiency. Why? Keeping your car clean improves its aerodynamics, and more aerodynamics means better fuel economy.

2. Don’t push the speed limit when driving.

Okay, driving aggressively is a virtue—only on the racetrack. If you’re just cruising on the city streets, then there’s no point in speeding too much at the expense of your car’s fuel economy. Every 5 mph (miles per hour) in excess of 65 mph you drive translates to a 7% cut in fuel economy. How to improve your gas mileage? Drive smoothly and steadily within the speed limit and avoid braking hard. Doing so not only boosts your fuel mileage, but also lessens the chance of damaging your brakes.

3. Refrain from idling excessively.

Even if your car is not running, it still consumes fuel if it’s idle. If you need to leave your car for a while, then it would be better if you turn the engine off and start your car again when you come back.

4. Plan your errands.

A great way to boost your fuel mileage is to plan and combine your errands ahead of time. That way, you travel less miles. A number of short trips here and there waste more fuel than a single, longer trip that drives the same distance.

5. Drive in the highest gear possible.

If you’re driving at a steady speed on the highway, you can improve your gas mileage by using the highest gear possible since it consumes less fuel than lower gears.

These five tips are just some of the ways on how to improve gas mileage, but they can make a big difference on your car’s fuel economy.

Fuel Economy Tip

Having good driving skills is not enough to protect you from any possible harm on the road. A very efficient and simple driving technique to be safe when driving is wearing a seat belt at all times. Nevertheless, the seat belt safety method is one of the simplest means of protecting the driver as well as the passengers. In fact, it was proven that wearing seat belts really helps in saving lives.

Therefore, the drivers, regardless of their age should make efforts about knowing everything that they can about seat belt safety. Moreover, studies reveal that passengers have more or less 40% likelihood of surviving a vehicular accident if they have their seat belts on. On the other hand, in some cases of severe accident, survival may not be possible even with the protection of the seat belts.

Photo by: ggvic, Creative Commons

But in most common accidents, the use of simple but well buckled seat belts significantly reduced the number of injuries. Roughly speaking, 20 % of the total road accident victims every year have resulted from not wearing a seat belt. Other people suffer permanent and grave disabilities in mishaps where seat belt safety was not put into practiced.

Many safety devices for automobiles were further enhanced since the creation of the passenger motor vehicles. Despite of that, none of the devices has created a big impact like the seat belt. Seat belt safety is perhaps the most efficient way to protect the passengers when a crash or collision happens.

The following are seat belt safety tips that you should apply whenever you ride your car:

1. Wear your seatbelt, regardless of what the weather conditions maybe.
2. Take note that seatbelts are only functional if used and worn properly. Likewise, the lap belts as well as the shoulder belts should also be used according to how they should be worn.
3. Always check your seatbelts for any sign of wear and tear and possible mechanical glitch.
4. Never even try to double up or share your seat belt as they are specifically made to protect one person only.
5. Even if you have airbags, keep in mind that they are more useful in car crashes when you are wearing a seat-belt. Seatbelts make sure that the passenger stay at the right position in the event of collision.
6. Infants should be placed in a rear-facing car safety seat while the toddlers should be in the forward-facing child safety seat. Kids aged 4 to 8 years can start to use seat belts.
7. Be sure that your seat belt is properly secured and locked to its base before starting the engine.

Because of the obvious importance of the seat belt safety measures, all the vehicle manufacturers are obligated to follow the strict safety rules and regulations implemented by the government. If they don’t abide by the seat belt safety rule they can be sued or will not be allowed to sell their cars at all. As for the drivers, there are also rules for wearing a seatbelt which must be followed or face fines or even termination of driver’s license. So, make efforts to wear safety belts whenever you will travel, besides, it’s for your own good.

The number one concern of the majority is always safety. There are even slogans that state “Safety first” whenever you drive by highways. Whether it is in the home or on the road, there’s no question about it, safety should come first. And because of this, for security while traveling, makers of different vehicles have devised car safety seat systems. (more…)

Road mishaps are sometimes unavoidable and they can happen to anyone, anytime. In fact, you see them in the news almost every day. A lot of people even lose their loved ones due to car accidents, and so taking precautionary measures is your best bet to prevent this traumatic event from happening to you and your family. Fortunately, there are car safety tips that you can follow in order to avoid being the next victim of vehicular accidents.
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