Fuel Economy Tip - Drive The Speed Limit
This tip is the first tip because it will keep you from losing your money not only to the gas pump, but to tickets and insurance as well.
According to Fuel Economy.Gov, for every additional 5 miles per hour (mph) you drive over 60 mph, you are spending an additional $.19 per gallon of gas. At today's national average price for unleaded fuel, that would be the equivalent to adding over 6.5% to your gas bill.
Let's look at it in regards to the amount of money you're losing in a year by driving 5 mph over the speed limit:
According to Fuel Economy.Gov, for every additional 5 miles per hour (mph) you drive over 60 mph, you are spending an additional $.19 per gallon of gas. At today's national average price for unleaded fuel, that would be the equivalent to adding over 6.5% to your gas bill.
Let's look at it in regards to the amount of money you're losing in a year by driving 5 mph over the speed limit:
If you fill up your 12 gallon tank once a week, that $.19 per gallon ends up costing you $118.56 per year!
Don't tell me that $.19 per gallon doesn't add up over time.
In addition to saving you money at the pump, driving the speed limit saves you money in additional ways:
- Reduces your chances for a speeding ticket (that shouldn't come as a shock).
- Reduces your chances for getting into a serious accident.
- Because of reasons 1 and 2, you're more likely to have lower insurance premiums.
- Reduces the wear and tear on your car, helping it last longer.
All of these things considered, speeding probably costs the average driver several hundred dollars each year.
Care to tell me again why you're speeding?
posted by Brian Carr at 9:05 PM
16 Comments:
you're not factoring in the oppotunity cost that is lost by not getting "there" in less time.
hard to do, but you're ignoring it altogether.
The opportunity cost is more than likely negligible, unless you're driving a long distance.
If you're just taking a short 10 mile trip, I don't think speeding is really worth the 35 seconds you might save. Maybe you value your time differently though.
If you were taking a 1,000 mile trip, where an extra hour or so (assuming you went from 60 to 65 mph).
Regardless, I don't think people save as much time by speeding as they think.
You also have to take all of the items I mentioned into account when you're speeding:
1. Increased fuel consumption
2. Increased chance for tickets
3. Increased chance for accidents
4. Increased insurance premiums
5. More wear and tear on vehicle
All of those things considered, I think the opportunity cost that is lost by taking slightly more time to get somewhere is very, very low.
In a city, you won't get there any faster by speeding: Traffic lights.
I agree 100%. So why even bother?!?
Why do you say it's negligible? Are you just pissed that you're wrong? If I'm taking a 10 mile trip, I'll burn about a quarter of a gallon of gas. I value my leisure time at about $25/hour, so using all your numbers, but going 5mph faster, I pay 5 cents more for my quarter gallon, but make up 20 cents in oppurtunity cost. Ooops? Even in the worst case of saying you value your life at minimum wage, it just balances out.
As for the rest...
1. Increased fuel consumption
- Offset by getting there quicker
2. Increased chance for tickets
- Depends, 5mph is usually challengable
3. Increased chance for accidents
- LOL, someone needs to read some DOT reports on this
4. Increased insurance premiums
- Only if 2 is true, because 3 is wrong
5. More wear and tear on vehicle
- How so? You're getting there faster, so you're using your car less. If anything, this is completely neglible.
First, if I'm wrong, I have no problem admitting it, so you're off base on that one.
After looking at your scenario your numbers make sense, but you're basing it on a vehicle that gets 40 mpg (10 miles per quarter gallon) which seems a bit high considering the the nataional average MPG for light-duty vehicles (cars and trucks under (8,500 pounds) is only 21 mpg according to the EPA.
For this argument, we'll round up to 25 mpg.
At 25 mpg, you're actually using .4 gallons of gas. So, if you were going 5 mph over the speed limit, it would cost you an extra $.09 per gallon, bringing you opportunity cost savings down.
In regards to my other points:
1. Gas used isn't a product of time, it is a product of velocity and distance, so the time saved wouldn't reduce the amount of gas you save - you're still using more because you're going faster.
For example, let's say at 60 mph you get 25 mpg, but at 65 mph you get 5% worse gas mileage, or 23.8 mpg.
At 60 mph it takes you .4 gallons of gas to get 10 miles.
At 65 mph it takes you .42 gallons to get 10 miles.
Thus, you have consumed more gas even though you've gone the 10 miles in less time.
2. You're correct, I did ultimately end up looking up a 1992 DOT report that showed increased speeds did not increase the amount of accidents.
3. If you want to nitpick about opportunity costs, then you have to factor in the time and money it takes to challenge a ticket.
4. Is still valid even if number 2 is thrown out because number 3 is valid.
5. Yes, there is more wear and tear on the vehicle the faster you travel. The engine has to work harder to produce the engergy for the vehicle to travel faster. Again, this isn't necessarily a product of time.
A couple months ago I drove to montreal and calculated my MPG at different highway speeds, Here was the post i made then:
Last week I drove from my home in kitchener, ontario to beautiful montreal, quebec, approximately 600 km away (375 miles).
During the trip I knew I would be filling up on gas a few times so I decided to calculate my MPG at different sustained highway speeds. On the way there I drove during the night (8pm->3am). Not much traffic and could afford to drive at higher speeds. On the way back I drove during the day, it was nice and sunny and I wasnt in any rush so for the purpose of the experiment I drove the speed limit (100kph/62mph). Below are the speed brackets of sustained highway speeds and their respective fuel economy rating.
100kph / 62mph = 38 MPG
130kph / 80mph = 30 MPG
150kph / 94 mph = 26 MPG
170kph / 105 mph = 24 MPG
The highway is very hilly and it was quite windy. During the tests I sped up down hills and tried to ease off the gas uphills so that my target speed was maintained as i crested the top of the hill. I am confident that I will be able to reach 40MPG on flat roads during less windy driving conditions.
Although driving the speed limit offered incredible MPG I doubt I will do that again. The driving was tedious, and at times felt unsafe when old ladies and transport trucks were passing me on the 2-lane highway.
When travelling at higher speeds I did have to slow down for trucks swapping lanes and then accellerate again to reach my target speed. This will damper the MPG. Trucks travel in packs driving closely behind each other so that they reduce their drag and increase fuel economy, they take turns being the lead truck, but pass very slowly.. trucks drive at around 110kph and they will pass each other at 112, on a 2 lane highway this blocks off the lanes for a couple minutes as one slowly passes the other and I got stuck behind trucks more then a few times.
Overall the driving was pretty uneventful.. and running the MPG readings was the only thing I had to cut through the boredom. Its funny what little games you come up with in your head when you have to drive for 6 hours straight.
Should read... "1. Gas used isn't a product of time, it is a product of velocity and distance, so the time saved wouldn't INCREASE the amount of gas you save - you're still using more because you're going faster."
Thanks for the comment and data. How long were you able to drive at 105 mph?!?
Thanks for the post. I'll be sure to check out your blog. Just out of curiosity, what were you looking for from this blog?
It dosn't tell when the artical was writen what the base price for all the saveings was calculated at.
Driving the speed limit might sound good, but it can be completely unrealistic depending on where you live. Every state enforces laws differently; I live in Minnesota, and I probably average 65 in most 55 mph zones. On the freeway, I usually go 10-15 over the limit, but even then I'll still have people passing me. I've never been ticketed before; by MN standards, I am not a fast driver. Cops generally aren't going to ticket you if you aren't going more than 10 over the speed limit. In other states (such as Iowa, according to my professor) from Des Moines), however, they actually enforce the actual speed limit, and going the limit is considered acceptable. Here, I would have people a lot of angry cars lined up behind me if I were to go 55 in a 55.
Around where I live(DSM, Ia) the cops really don't care unless your pushin 12-15 over the speed limit. Even then I drive by dsm cops doing that all the time. The only time I've been pulled over for speeding was by Pleasant Hill, but what do you expect small town lots of cops with no real police work to do. I mean seriously how bored does a cop have to be to pull you over soley for a window tint violation?
Yes driving slower savers gas, but is not neccessarily safer. Driving SLOWER than the rest of the traffic is very dangerous practice on a 2-lane undivided highway. Cars will try to pass you in both safe and unsafe places. If the car that is passing you collides with oncoming traffic, you will most likely also become part of the crash statistics. Driving at posted spedd may save your life, or it may be the reason why you die -- it really depends on the circumstances ** The goverment has lied too long about speed kills - it is time for citizens to wake up, and discover that the government kills. Education saves lives. A posted speed limit is a metal sign without any intelligence, think!
Lies, dammn lies, and EPA gas mileage estimates. Some cars claim stellar 30+ mpg -- whats the catch: you must drive no faster than 50 mph. Gas cost money, but time is money too, especially in USA. The differnce between 65 and 85 is significant on longer stretches, for instance 50 miles or more. Not passing a slow wehicle drops your average speed well below the posted speed, and in some cases make the difference betwen betting to destination before sunset or driving in pitch dark. ** Allowing cars to pass each others can bring tremendeous benefits. Flip it around: preventing cars from passing due to ideological beliefs or simple unwillingess to co-operate may directly, or indirectly cause an fatal accident.
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