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July 4th Means Crowded Roads, High Gas Prices – How To Survive Both (Video)

 The Fourth of July is the biggest celebration in America, but I doubt it’s going to be a party on the roadways. Buzz60’s Sean Dowling has more.

As gasoline prices continue to rise, here are some tips to save you $$$$ giving consumers a little extra holiday cheer.  Keep a sharp eye when gas company profits come out and don’t forget where those profits come from!

From the Consumer Federation of America’s (CFA):

TOP 10 TIPS TO SAVE GAS WHILE TRAVELING THIS 4TH OF JULY

At $2.86 a Gallon, Gas Prices are Up 13% This Year

With almost 40 million Americans scheduled to travel more than 50 miles this Independence Day, travel is up, but so are gas prices. There are several steps drivers can take to save on fuel from maintaining their vehicles to driving them more economically.

Below are CFA’s top ten gas-saving tips from Jack Gillis, CFA’s Executive Director and author of The Car Book. (Savings are based on June 2018 gas prices.)

CFA estimates that if Americans practiced these tips, gas mileage could be improved (in total) by about 13 percent. “Following these tips will be like paying $2.48 per gallon at today’s average of $2.86. Paying less for gas means buying more snow-cones and 4th of July treats,” said Gillis.

10 Tips for Saving At the Gas Pump

  1. Save 99¢ for having a light foot: Riding with your foot on the brake not only wears out brakes but can also reduce gas consumption by as much as 35%. If you kick the habit of driving with your foot on the brake, you’ll get the equivalent of 99 cents per gallon in savings.
  2. Save 54¢ for a smoother drive: The smoother you accelerate and decelerate, the better your gas mileage, with potential gas savings of 33% on the highway and 5% around town. Consumers who currently drive erratically can pocket the equivalent 54 cents a gallon by driving more smoothly.
  3. Save 28¢ for straightening out: Poor alignment not only causes tires to wear out more quickly, but also forces your engine to work harder, which can reduce gas mileage by as much as 10%. Fixing improper alignment would be like saving 28 cents per gallon.
  4. Save 20¢ for taking it slow: For every 5 mph you reduce highway speed, you can reduce fuel consumption by 7%. If you typically drive 70 mph on the highway and slow down to 65 mph, it’s the equivalent of saving 20 cents a gallon.
  5. Save 11¢ for a tune up: A properly tuned engine can improve mileage by 4%, which is like saving 11 cents a gallon.
  6. Save 8¢ for pumping ’em up: More than one-quarter of vehicles have improperly inflated tires. The average under-inflation of 7.5 lbs. causes a loss of 2.8% in fuel efficiency. Properly inflating underinflated tires is like knocking 8 cents off a gallon of gas.
  7. Save 5¢ for losing weight: For every 100 extra pounds carried around, your vehicle loses 1-2% in fuel efficiency. For every 100 lbs you unload, you’re saving the equivalent of 5 cents per gallon.
  8. Save 5¢ for using the correct oil: You can stretch your gas mileage by 1%-2% by using the thinnest viscosity motor oil recommended by your car’s manufacturer. For example, adding 10W-30 motor oil in an engine that is designed to use 5W-30 can lessen your gas mileage by 1%-2%, saving the equivalent of 5 cents per gallon.
  9. Save 2¢ for not idling: If stopped off the road for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine. Don’t “warm up” your car before driving — it is not necessary. For every two minutes that you don’t idle, you’ll save the equivalent of nearly 2 cents per gallon.
  10. Save 2¢ for checking the cap: It is estimated that nearly 17% of cars on the road have broken or missing gas caps, which reduce gas mileage as well as possibly harming the environment. Fixing or replacing a faulty gas cap is like saving 2 cents per gallon.

The Consumer Federation of America is an association of more than 250 non-profit consumer and cooperative groups that was founded in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy, and education.

[vc_message message_box_style=”outline” message_box_color=”black”]By Al Sunshine, SouthFloridaReporter.com, Consumer Investigator, July 3, 2018

Videpby Buzz60/Sean Dowling[/vc_message]

Al Sunshine is a South Florida-based Broadcast and Digital Journalist whose career has spanned more than 40 years at the local and national levels. His award-winning investigations have triggered more than a dozen state and local consumer protection laws and his work’s been cited in Congressional Testimony before the U-S House of Representatives. He is best known for his “Shame On You” features for CBS Miami which sought to expose businesses, agencies and individuals defrauding or deceiving consumers, as well as endangering the safety and welfare of the general public. In 2013 Al retired from CBS Miami to set up his own Digital News Business, “Sunshine News, LLC” and Al continues to blog for the Radio, Television, Digital News Association, sponsors of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards”. An avid environmentalist, Al is one of the founding members of the “Miami Pine Rocklands Coalition”. The Florida Non-Profit is fighting to save and restore the last 2% of Pine Rocklands found only in South Florida and nowhere else in the continental United States. Al was recently elected its President.