How to be fuel efficient in light of the fuel price increase
As we hear the news of the fuel price increase, we look at ways of being fuel efficient.
When it comes to filling up your tank, at some point we are sure that many have had to scrape up coins from under their car seats to fill some juice into their tanks.
And if you haven't, then good for you, that's all we can say... but for those of you who got a little down after hearing that the fuel price was going to increase tonight, we have decided to put together some tips on how to be more fuel efficient.
We have those hustler slash puzzler tips where you let go of the accelerator when going down a hill so that you are not using so much fuel, but whether or not that does save you any petrol has yet to be confirmed.
We once heard that in order for that to work, you need to have the car in neutral if you are driving a manual vehicle. And we definitely would not advise anyone to do anything that wasn't safe, so let's leave that one out.
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"Budget Insurance calculated that if you have a 60-litre tank and fill it up with petrol, 48 times a year, at the current rate of R19,89 per litre, a 40% reduction in fuel consumption could save you close to R22,000 annually." (Business Tech)
But did you also know that servicing your car often, doing regular wheel alignment checks can also help you save on fuel...Well, let's just say there's more of those handy tips below...
So we weren't all wrong on not being heavy on the pedal, according to Toyota.
"Putting the "pedal to the metal" wastes gas because the harder you accelerate, the more fuel is wasted. Pressing the accelerator pedal gently will help you save gas. One way to help not accelerate too quickly is to imagine there's an egg under the gas pedal. When you accelerate, pretend the gas pedal is pressing down on the egg. This mental trick can help you speed up safely, which means saving gas and cash." (Toyota Website)
So to those drivers that love to rev it up when taking off, the sad news is that you are most likely using more fuel, that's if you didn't know that already. So the next tip is, if you are travelling long distance, use your cruise control, the steadier you are with your speed, the more fuel efficient you are being.
Read more: Ten smart ways to help you save on fuel
Keeping a safe distance and being present whilst driving can (believe it or not) help you with saving fuel. There is something that is called the counting tip which allows you to keep a safe distance between cars. So you count for two seconds after the vehicle in front of you passes an inanimate object, like a road sign, then you start moving...
This one is for those drivers who rely on their brakes a lot. Abrupt stops can cause you to use more fuel.
"In regular driving situations, it's better to coast toward a stop sign or red light instead of slamming on the brakes. This helps save fuel and money." (Toyota Website)
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