Recently my family has been complaining about car sickness due to my lousy driving. Now that it's been brought to my attention, I realize that I do not accelerate smoothly and I'm hitting the gas pedal way too often. I thought, perhaps, that I should use cruise control more, but that doesn't really help me in the day-to-day local driving.
Knowing my driving is an issue, I decided to do a bit of research on driving habits in general. As long as I'm going to make changes, I want to be sure I'm doing all I can to drive green. Here are some things that we all can do to clean up our driving:
--accelerate gradually, using cruise control where possible
--obey the speed limit
--combine errands into one trip
--don't top off your gas tank
--conversely, don't drive on empty
--don't idle; it's bad for your car and the air around it
--keep your car maintain and inspected on time, paying particular attention to tire pressure
The kind of car you drive does make a difference. Hybrid technology is continually improving but there are many new models that get fantastic gas mileage now. It's important to know that the newer your car, the fewer emissions you are emitting, so try to drive your newest auto on poor air quality day. Because of our proximity to NYC and major highways, and the high population in our area, Morris County's air quality suffers. If you are interested in learning more about NJ air, the State DEP has up-to-date information.
Driving less should be part of our efforts. Consider carpooling, walking or riding a bike, shopping by phone or on-line, using public transportation and telecommuting.
