TIPS FOR THE ROAD

The most important tip to keep your family safe while driving is to always use safety belts and proper child restraints. Children are safer when placed in the rear seat in the appropriate infant, child or booster seat, or when wearing safety belt appropriate for their size and age. Never place a rear-facing infant restraint in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with an active air bag.

Sitting upright enables your body to feel and sense what the vehicle is telling you.

During normal driving conditions, make sure to scan for braking vehicles in front of you and approaching vehicles in your rearview mirror.

Always drive with both hands on the wheel. The best place for your hands are the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions, which helps provide greater control when steering.

With your safety in mind, many new vehicles come equipped with daytime running lamps. To help with safe driving, turn on your headlights, taillights and any exterior lights in rainy weather. Even if your visibility is good, other drivers will have a better view of your vehicle.

Keep your steering, acceleration and braking smooth to help keep the vehicle balanced.

Trailing the brakes means easing off the brake pedal slowly as you turn into a corner. It keeps the weight on your front steering tires, creating more traction for the turn.

Don’t overstep your limits or the road conditions.

Taking this action may help you to regain control of your vehicle during a skid. If you have a skid situation, ease off the throttle to transfer weight back onto the front steering tires.

Objects come out of nowhere when you look only at the vehicle in front of you. Try to look 10 to 15 vehicles ahead and you’ll find that everything comes at you more predictably.

If you need to veer suddenly to avoid hitting an object in your vehicle’s path, make sure you look in the direction you’re headed – before turning – to make sure the path is clear.

Statistics prove that the majority of accidents on the road involve talking or texting while driving. Talking on a cell phone while driving makes you four times more likely to crash.

Drive at a reasonable speed when traveling around bends. This may mean you need to drive slower than the speed limit. Driving at a high speed around bends could cause you to lose control.

While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), petrol mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 80 km/h. Observing the speed limit is also safer. Additionally, using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Aggressive driving (speeding and rapid acceleration and braking) wastes petrol. It can lower your mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Idling can use a quarter to a 1.9 liters of petrol per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner (AC) use. Turn off your engine when your vehicle is parked. It only takes a few seconds worth of fuel to restart your vehicle. Turning your engine on and off excessively, however, may increase starter wear.

Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its petrol mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your fuel efficiency by as much as 40 percent. Find a dealership or independent workshop near you that sells quality ACDelco parts. The technicians there can check to see whether your engine is properly tuned.

Stagger your work hours to avoid peak rush hours. Drive your most fuel-efficient vehicle. Consider telecommuting (working from home) if your employer permits it. Take advantage of carpools and ride-share programs. You can cut your weekly fuel costs in half and save wear on your car if you take turns driving with other commuters. Many urban areas allow vehicles with multiple passengers to use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, which are typically less congested, further improving your fuel economy. Consider using public transit if it is available and convenient for you.

Combining errands into one trip saves you time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Trip planning ensures that traveling is done when the engine is warmed up and efficient, and it can reduce the distance you travel.

Added weight in your vehicle affects fuel economy, so take unnecessary items out of your trunk. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle’s weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

You can improve your fuel mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your fuel mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your petrol mileage by 1-1.5 percent.

You can improve your petrol mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Underinflated tires can lower petrol mileage by 0.3 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Hauling cargo on your roof increases aerodynamic drag (wind resistance) and lowers fuel economy. A large, blunt rooftop cargo box, for example, can reduce fuel economy by about 2-8 percent in city driving, 6-17 percent on the highway and 10-25 percent at interstate speeds (100-120 km/h). Rear-mount cargo boxes or trays reduce fuel economy by much less – only 1-2 percent in city driving and 1-5 percent on the highway. If you need to use an external cargo container, removing it when it’s not in use will save fuel and money.