Hypermilers

My car is by far the most expensive thing I've ever owned, and I drive it with that in the front of my mind. On the rare occasion when I'm unable to avoid a pot-hole, I groan and think, "The most expensive thing I've ever bought just gained unnecessary wear and tear." When I see red lights, I start slowing down waaay in advance so, if I time it right, I never have to come to a full stop at all -- this saves my break pads. I go gently over speedbumps. I don't accelerate when I don't need to.

When I'm driving I think of my car as an instrument, and I'm making music with the road passing underneath. I like the music to be smooth and soft and in tune. I play the car gently, like you would a Stradivarius violin.

I'm also obsessed with gas mileage. I always reset the meter after filling the tank, and that's the only math I've ever enjoyed. But I never thought to put the two obsessions together -- the symphonic driving with the gas saving -- until I read about people who call themselves "hypermilers" -- people who, through strategic driving, get 60 or 75 miles per gallon. Hypermilers'

goal is simple: squeeze every mile they can out of each drop of gas. Some of their tips are a matter of common sense and could help any driver, especially now, with gas climbing past $3 a gallon: avoiding jackrabbit starts, using alternate routes to avoid stop-and-go traffic, anticipating lights and driving a bit more slowly.

Those are all things I do already... but now I feel part of a club. And a little less crazy.