Friday, June 27, 2008 | 2:06 a.m.
I enjoyed reading your Saturday editorial on rising gasoline prices, headlined “A silver lining.” I have an additional suggestion to dramatically reduce gas consumption: Alter driving habits to minimize braking and rapid acceleration.
I estimate that it costs 13 cents worth of gas just to slowly accelerate an 8,000-pound vehicle (like a Ford Excursion) from rest to 50 mph.
Driving in Las Vegas is often akin to driving in a stock car race, with people erratically driving, cutting one another off left and right and racing to the finish, only to end up braking at a red light, wasting inordinate amounts of kinetic energy.
For the sake of safety, sanity and saving everyone gas, we have to stop aggressive and energy-wasteful (stop and go) driving. The next time a frustrated driver is behind a person coasting to make a green light transition, he should relax and consider that the strategic and wise driver might actually save all of us some gas.
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