By Eric Leech
Denver, CO, USA | Mon Apr 27 13:30:00 GMT 2009
Various Internet sources are always putting together lists featuring the biggest mistakes people make when driving their vehicle, such as not using their lights in bad weather, driving too close to other vehicles, and accelerating too quickly when leaving a light. All these are viable problems, but today we are going to focus on the mistakes that are most harmful to the environment, as well as a compromise to our own safety and the safety of those around us.
Many times DIY type projects save you money, time, and even a few trees in the process. They involve no paperwork, simple tools, and can be as green as the do it yourselfer would like them to be. However, in the case of washing your own vehicle, this is one scenario where self-washing is actually not always as green as taking it to a professional service center. It uses two to three times more water, the chemical runoff can find its way into the water supply, and it can sometimes take longer than just driving to the nearest environmentally friendly car wash.
Image courtesy of Steve Mason/Getty.
This is a big problem that a lot of vehicle owners are guilty of, especially during poor economic times. The problem occurs when people choose to drive their vehicle until they have a problem, then bring their vehicle in for servicing, rather than taking an active roll in preventative maintenance. Just like seeing your doctor for regular check-ups, a vehicle needs to have regular servicing done to ensure years of trouble free service, good gas mileage, and low emissions. Such servicing involves changing your fluids and filters regularly, replacing spark plugs, and maintaining a clean fuel system. Best of all, many of these maintenance type services and repairs can be accomplished DIY style, with limited mechanical knowledge, minimal tools, and a minimal charge, due to the price break by using your own labor.
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Tires are a commonly forgotten part of a vehicle, yet they are one of the most important links to safety, gas economy, and emissions. The different ways a tire is manufactured can improve roll resistance, durability, and its ability to tackle all sorts of weather (rain, sleet, snow). Beyond the tires themselves however, maintaining the proper inflation of tires is also of pivotal importance. Fuel economy can be effected when the pressure of a tire is off by as little as three to five psi (pounds per square inch). It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for uneven wear, or other abnormalities in your tires. This will help you gauge when it is time for their replacement.
Image courtesy of Digital Vision/Getty.
Hopefully, with all the coverage this problem has been receiving, it will soon no longer be such an eyesore for many daily commuters, but currently excessive idling is still a huge problem in the United States. Such a huge problem in fact, that laws have been passed to help discourage folks from participating in these actions. Not only can the fumes from idling damage your lungs, and the lungs of those around you, the EPA states that anytime you expect a wait of 1 minute or more, it would behoove you to shut down the engine and restart when ready to go. Following this will improve the health of the planet, your fuel economy, and reduce the impact of your overall carbon footprint.
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Most people know by now that overzealous driving wastes fuel and increases your vehicles emissions, but they may not know, that so does overly slow driving. The most efficient way to drive your vehicle is to stay well within the legal speed limit and remain at a moderate speed and steady pace for the duration of the drive. For most vehicles the optimum speed limit is somewhere between 50 and 60 mph. The reason for this, is this also happens to be the average speed at which the government tests vehicles in order to determine their fuel economy rating. It is only natural for manufacturers to desire to receive the very best mpg scores possible, so in order to achieve this, they design their vehicles to perform the most efficiently at these speeds.
Image courtesy of Stockbyte/Getty.
Road rage is a growing problem in the US and the greatest evidence of this infliction is from the statistics which support these claims. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) estimates that as much as one-third of all car crashes are caused by aggressive driving. Accidents such as these reduce vehicle efficiency and increase emissions by causing gridlock, which results in excessive idling. It is easy to get angry because of careless drivers on the road, but by giving into this anger, you often only end up joining their aggressive driving style. Don't feed the beast and worry about the other drivers, just be cautious, defensive, and most importantly...just be happy!
Image courtesy of Digital Vision/Getty.
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