Foreign Oil Independence

I was filling the car up with gasoline this morning, and I noticed that this tank of gas I had gotten very good fuel economy.  So I took a quick picture of it with the little point and shoot camera that I keep in the car. 

On this tank of gasoline I travelled 459.3 miles, and I averaged 53.6 miles per gallon.  Not too shabby, huh? 

And this is with a totally stock two year old Toyota Corolla.  Like in many American cities, much of my city driving is in fact driven up on the freeway.  This was no exception.  It was all in town, but probably 75% of this was driven on the freeway.  And I still use the air conditioner a lot.  Here in the desert I even use it during the month of February.

What are my secrets to getting such phenomenal fuel economy?

I keep my tires well inflated.  I accelerate very slowly.  I use the cruise control a lot, and I try to never, ever drive faster than 50 miles per hour.  I look well ahead, so that I can bleed off the momentum gradually rather than applying my brakes.

It takes a little practice to teach yourself to drive this way, but it really is not too difficult.

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