1 Avoid High Speeds As your speed increases, your aerodynamic drag increases in an exponential fashion. Driving 62 mph (100 km/h) vs 75 mph (120 km/h) will reduce fuel consumption by about 15%.
2 Do Not Accelerate or Brake Hard By anticipating the traffic and applying slow steady acceleration and braking, fuel economy may increase by as much as 20%.
3 Keep Tires Properly Inflated Keep tire air pressure at the level recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. A single tire under inflated by 2 PSI, increases fuel consumption by 1%.
4 Use A/C Sparingly When the air conditioner is on it puts extra load on the engine forcing more fuel to be used (by about 20%). The defrost position on most vehicles also uses the air conditioner.
5 Keep Windows Closed Windows open, especially at highway speeds, increase drag and result in decreased fuel economy of up to 10%.
6 Service Vehicle Regularly Proper maintenance avoids poor fuel economy related to dirty air filters, old spark plugs or low fluid levels.
7 Use Cruise Control Maintaining a constant speed over long distances often saves gas.
8 Avoid Heavy Loads Remove the sand bags from your trunk in the spring and pack lightly for long trips.
9 Avoid Long Idles If you anticipate being stopped for more than 1 minute, shut off the car. Restarting the car uses less fuel than letting it idle for this time.
10 Purchase a Fuel Efficient Vehicle When buying a new vehicle examine the vehicle's rated fuel efficiency. Usually choosing a small vehicle with a manual transmission will provide you with great fuel economy.
How can I save money on gas?
With gas prices reaching record levels, it's more important than ever to keep tabs on your gas spending. Although one of the easiest ways to save money on gas is to shop around, by using this web site. But there are a number of other things that you can do to keep some of that hard earned money in your pocket, instead of big oils'. More
IRS to Send Reminders About Rebates
Government Begins Big Outreach Effort to Tell People How to Get Their Stimulus Checks --
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Don't be alarmed. More than 130 million households will get letters from the Internal Revenue Service beginning next week and it's good news, not bad. More.
Tax Law Changes for Individuals A list of changes to the 2007 tax law pertaining to individuals filing their
taxes. More.
Cleaning Up Your Credit 5 Tips: how to rescue your credit from debt or
identity theft.More.
Lose Weight While You Work Most
visitors think they've walked into a gym when they walk into "Office
of the Future." It's
creator, Dr. James Levine is quick to correct them. More.
On Track With Lynx The station-by-station guide to riding the new light rail.More.
For CMS, Aim is Better Customer Service Learning communities are a move away from centralized
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Need information on arrest records, public records, etc. for Mecklenburg County? Click here
Dumb Laws in North Carolina (really, we mean it!)
The mere possession of a lottery ticket is illegal in North Carolina and may result in a $2,000 fine.
No one may be a professional fortune-teller, and if one wishes to pursue the practice as an amateur, it must be practiced in a school or church.
It's against the law to sing off key.
All couples staying overnight in a hotel must have a room with double beds that are at least two feet apart.
Stupid Criminals in Charlotte
A Charlotte, North Carolina man, having purchased a box of 24 rare and very expensive cigars, insured them against... fire. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of fabulous cigars, and having yet to make a single premium payment on the policy, the man filed a claim against the insurance company.
In his claim, the man stated that he had lost the cigars in "a series of small fires." The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: that the man had consumed the cigars in a normal fashion. The man sued, and won.
In delivering his ruling, the judge stated that the man held a policy from the company in which it was warranted that the cigars were insurable. The company, in the policy, had also guaranteed that it would insure the cigars against fire, without defining what it considered to be "unacceptable fire," and so, the company was obligated to compensate the insured for his loss. Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the judge's ruling and paid the man $15,000 for the rare cigars he had lost in "the fires."
However, shortly after the man cashed his check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of arson. With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case used as evidence against him, the man was convicted of intentionally burning the rare cigars and sentenced to 24 consecutive one-year prison terms.
