With gas prices on the rise again, driving can be quite expensive. If bicycling would not work because of distance or safety, you are probably trying to ration your gas use as much as possible. Today I will explain four ways to save on gas by utilizing the full potential of your GPS receiver.
#1 Set Route Preference To “Quickest”
Most GPS receivers can be set to show you the quickest or the shortest routes. To save the most gas, set your device to show the quickest route. Often the shortest route is along neighborhood streets saturated with stop signs. Because this stop-and-go driving will lower your miles per gallon, you will actually burn more gas here than you would on the faster route.
#2 Install A “Cheap Gas Finder”
Many GPS providers offer gas price comparison programs that, for a small yearly fee, will locate the cheapest gas prices available along your pre-programmed routes. Using this, you can be sure to get the cheapest price around – without wasting time unnecessarily. Although the yearly fee isn’t much (around $15), you can save even more by using a free online service such as GasBuddy.com instead.
#3 Avoid Towns & Cities
When idling, your car will get exactly zero miles per gallon. Driving in cities requires a lot of idling at stop lights which will, therefore, waste your gas unnecessarily. Using your GPS, you can easily avoid these busy areas by choosing to “Avoid Towns and Cities” on the “Avoidance” menu. Not only will this save you time, but it will also drastically increase you miles per gallon.
#4 Use Waypoints
GPS devices come with the ability to set hundreds of “waypoints”, often called “favorites” or “locations”. Using this feature, record all your common stops including your home, work, school, friend’s homes, and any shops or stores you visit on a regular basis.
Next time you are visiting one of those locations, use your GPS to find the quickest route rather than traveling the same way you normally do. You might learn new and quicker ways to get there… while saving fuel and money.
How have you saved gas?
{Image by Archos Nordic}
