Holiday Travelers Can Cut Gasoline Costs With Tips From Alliance to Save Energy's Drive $marter Challenge

WASHINGTON, July 2 -- U.S. consumers planning a "staycation" at home instead of a vacation away during the upcoming Fourth of July weekend may reconsider when they learn how to be more fuel efficient by taking the Drive $marter Challenge at www.drivesmarterchallenge.org.

Today's rising gasoline costs have caused U.S. drivers to reduce their "vehicle miles traveled" by 2 percent so far this year compared to a year ago - the steepest decline since such record-keeping began in 1942, according to the Federal Highway Administration. But while drivers cannot control gas prices, they can take simple steps to increase their fuel efficiency and reduce their gasoline costs.

The Drive $marter Challenge campaign by the Alliance to Save Energy, The Wal-Mart Foundation, and 16 other diverse public- and private-sector partners features a timely and unique interactive website to help drivers lower gasoline use and costs through more fuel-efficient driving and proper vehicle maintenance.

In addition to offering nearly two dozen money-saving gas tips, the website features extensive resources that cover such questions as: Where can I rent a hybrid or fuel-efficient vehicle? What public transportation options are available at my vacation destination? Where can I find cheap gas along my vacation route?

So whether you are headed to the big city or the great outdoors this holiday weekend - or sticking close to home - how you drive and how you maintain your vehicle can significantly affect its fuel efficiency and your gas costs.

With a little planning and basic maintenance steps, you can start saving money on gas even before you hit the road:

  Planning Your Vacation
  --  Choose the Right Vehicle. If you own more than one vehicle, drive the
      one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible.  If you drive
      12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from driving a
      car that gets 20 mpg to one that gets 30 mpg will save you almost $80
      per year.
  --  Request the Right Rental.  Request a vehicle that gets better fuel
      economy, and remember to fill up the tank before returning the car to
      the rental company, which charges much higher gas prices - and perhaps
      even an extra gas surcharge.
  --  Are we there yet?  Getting lost while driving in unfamiliar areas
      could lead to an expensive waste of gas. Resources on the Drive
      $marter Challenge website can help your family print a customized
      vacation map that highlights low-cost gas stations along your route.
  --  Rise and Shine!  Although it may not be possible for your family to
      drive during off-peak hours, it could save on gas costs and stress by
      avoiding stop-and-go or bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions.
  --  Consider other transportation options.  Investigate alternative ways
      to get to your vacation destination such as buses or trains. And look
      into public transit, biking, walking, and car sharing at your
      destination.  Check the American Public Transportation Association's
      website for local information (www.apta.com/links/state_local/).
  --  Motorcycling.  Motorcycles average 56 mpg - and motor scooters do even
      better.  For one person or even two, motorcycles or scooters clearly
      use far less energy than a car with one or two people.  But if four
      people need to go somewhere, they are better off in a vehicle that
      gets 30 mpg than on two motorcycles that each gets 56 mpg.

  Before You Leave: Maintenance Tips
  --  Inflate Your Tires.  Keeping your tires properly inflated is simple
      and improves gas mileage by around 3 percent, saving up to 20 gallons
      of gasoline, or about $75.
  --  Check and replace air filters regularly.  Replacing a clogged or dirty
      air filter can improve your car's gas mileage, and a clean filter
      keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine.
  --  Select the Right Oil.  Using the manufacturer's recommended grade of
      motor oil, including re-refined motor oil, improves gas mileage by 1
      to 2 percent, resulting in annual savings of up to $45.  Motor oil
      that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol contains
      friction-reducing additives.  Also, change your oil as recommended to
      extend the life of your vehicle; and remember to recycle the used oil
      which can be re-refined, saving even more energy.

  While on the Road: Driving Tips
  --  Decrease Your Speed. Speeding costs!  Gas mileage usually decreases
      rapidly above 60 mph. Each five miles per hour over 60 mph is like
      paying an additional 20 cents per gallon for gas.
  --  Use Cruise Control. Cruise control cuts fuel consumption by
      maintaining a steady speed during highway driving.
  --  It's a "drag."  Avoid carrying items on your vehicle's roof.  A loaded
      roof rack or carrier increases weight and aerodynamic drag, which can
      cut mileage by 5 percent. Place items inside the trunk whenever
      possible to improve your fuel economy.
  --  Ditch "junk in the trunk."  An extra 100 pounds in the trunk cuts a
      typical vehicle's fuel economy by up to 2 percent.  By removing that
      extra weight, you can save up to 12 gallons of gasoline per year -
      about $45.
  --  Turn Down the Air.  Operating the air conditioner on "Max" can reduce
      mpg by 5-25 percent compared to not using it. 					Hidden List
  --  Avoid idling, which gets 0 mpg. Cars with larger engines typically
      waste even more gas while idling than cars with smaller engines.

(Tips are calculated as annual savings, driving the national average of 12,500 miles per year in a vehicle with a fuel economy of 20.1 mpg using regular grade gasoline at $3.78 per gallon -- the projected 2008 annual average by the Energy Information Administration's June Short Term Energy Outlook.)

"Taking the Drive $marter Challenge" means pledging to take up to six smart driving and/or vehicle maintenance actions that will produce measurable reductions in gas, money, and CO2 emissions. The website demonstrates that taking small steps can add up to big savings by adding each individual visitor's savings to a running tally of savings by everyone who has "taken the Challenge" at www.drivesmarterchallenge.org.

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, the economy, and national security.