8 Easy Green Driving Tips

You don't need to spend a fortune on a hybrid to drive green. Making even a small improvement to your car's fuel efficiency can make a big difference to the environment. Here are a few green driving tips to reduce the carbon footprint of the car that's already sitting in your driveway—and in the process, to save money.

• Get a tune-up for the environment
  Proper maintenance can have a big impact on how much gas you use. The payback for repairs varies, but fixing a serious problem like a malfunctioning oxygen sensor can improve fuel efficiency by as much as 40 percent.
• Pay attention to your tires
  The next time you need tires, consider buying low rolling resistance (LRR) tires. Rolling resistance is essentially the energy that your tires consume as they compress under the weight of your vehicle, and LRR tires can improve fuel efficiency by 1.5 to 4.5 percent.
  
  Even with standard tires, proper inflation can make a big difference: The Department of Energy estimates that underinflated tires waste 1.2 billion gallons of gasoline per year. Once a month, use a gauge (not your eyes) to check each tire's pressure. (Most hardware and auto supply stores carry them for around $15.) You'll find the correct inflation number (noted as PSI, or pounds per square inch) in the owner's manual—don't go by the number listed on the tire itself, as that reflects the maximum pressure the tire can withstand.
  
  And remember this green driving tip: The tire pressure fluctuates with the temperature. For every 10-degree drop in outside temperature, tire pressure goes down 1 PSI. So you may have to treat your tires differently in January than you would in June.
• Lose the junk in the trunk
  Those miscellaneous items that we all haul around can add up to lots of extra weight—and a hundred pounds equals about a 2 percent reduction in gas mileage.
• Update your oil
  Engines on newer car models (those less than 10 years old) often require lightweight oil such as 0W20 or 0W30. (The lower the number before the W, the easier the engine will start in cold weather. The number after the W represents the oil's thickness.) Not only will thicker oil reduce your car's fuel efficiency because more energy is needed to push through it, but the heavier oil can fail to lubricate the small spaces in a modern engine.
• Adjust your octane
  Many drivers (9 million by some estimates) mistakenly believe that pumping premium gasoline in their tank will help their engines run better; some drivers periodically opt for higher grades (91 octane and above), thinking it will help them clean out the car's fuel system. In both cases, this is a wasted effort. If your car wasn't designed to run on high-octane gas (94 percent of cars on the road today are designed to run on regular), using it will cause more unburned fuel to get into the emissions system, interfering with its ability to prevent noxious fumes. Premium gas also requires more energy to refine, so buying it when you don't have to is bad for the environment at both the production and consumption ends of the market.
• Go green when you need to cool off
  On short trips and when driving around town, keeping your windows down is more efficient than using the air conditioner. At highway speeds, use the air conditioner, as open windows and sunroofs create drag when you're moving fast. A green driving tip: Using the vents is the most fuel-efficient cooling option of all.
• Drive gently
  "Jackrabbit" starts and screeching stops are hard on your automobile and increase fuel consumption. Flooring the gas pedal just once can emit as much carbon monoxide as half an hour of normal driving. And slow down: Every car has an optimal range for fuel economy, generally from about 25 to 65 mph. (Check your owner's manual for this range.) For every 5 mph over this range that you drive, you're reducing fuel efficiency by about 7 percent.
• Be eco-friendly, even when parked
  Gas can evaporate even from a closed tank—and heat speeds up the process, so park in the shade when possible. By doing so, you'll also reduce the amount of energy needed to cool your car when you start driving.

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7 Simple Ways To Change Your Driving Habits For a Safer Trip

To keep your mind on the road and your car out of an accident, follow these seven easy safe driving tips that have been recommended by car safety experts.

1. Stow all phones — even hands-free ones
   Talking or texting behind the wheel is perhaps the most important driving habit to break. Of all highway deaths last year, 18 percent involved drivers using a cell phone before the crash, according to NHTSA. Driving while using a handheld or hands-free cell phone makes you as impaired as a drunk driver, according to a University of Utah study. When talking on a cell phone, your risk of accident quadruples, and texting makes you eight times as likely to crash. Because even hands-free devices cause distraction, get into a driving habit of putting phones in a purse or briefcase out of reach in the backseat.
2. Listen to—don't watch—GPS devices.
   These high-tech gadgets are supposed to help you navigate unknown streets, but if you fiddle with the controls or pay more attention to the screen than the road, you jeopardize your car safety. Program your destination before you start driving. And rely on the verbal cues from the GPS instead of the screen. If you know your nature is to keep looking at the screen, dim it.
3. Go 3-D when looking for an address
   Before you leave for an unfamiliar destination, review maps and directions. One tool you might find useful is Google Map's Street View. These 3-D views give you visual clues (turn right at that bright red gas station) so you don't have to take your eyes off the road to look for street signs and house addresses.
4. Adjust controls and set the playlist before you roll
   Don't fiddle with gadgets like the radio, iPod, or climate controls while driving. Set up your playlist before you turn on the ignition. And set climate controls to a comfortable level before you put the car in drive. This advice is particularly important if you're driving a rental car. Take a couple seconds to familiarize yourself with the controls. If it takes more than a glance to adjust a control, wait until you're stopped to fix it.
5. Ban conflict-inducing conversations
   When you talk with others in the car, heated arguments may pull your attention away from the traffic signals and pedestrians. Make it a driving habit that you'll save the big, deep discussions of finance, child-rearing philosophies, and politics for outside the car. The same can be said for handling misbehaving children. If a child acts up in the backseat, the safest thing to do is pull off the road and give everyone a chance to cool down.
6. Buckle up Rex
   Unpredictable, unsecured pets can cause major distracted driving concerns. There are a variety of restraints suitable for your type of pet and car, from a cage in the back of a station wagon to a harness that can be buckled with the seat belt. The backseat is also the best place for pets. That way you won't be tempted to pet or feed them.
7. Take breaks to avoid spacing out
   Daydreaming in a car can end up as a nightmare. If your mind is wandering to a problem at work or home, pull over to jot it down or make a phone call. Don't let it keep running through your head. Also, take regular breaks—one at least every two hours (or about every 100 miles) on longer road trips.

** Originally published by The Harfortd **