Cars are very much a necessity in today’s world. However, they are also responsible for substantial financial and environmental costs. An average vehicle wastes 30% of its gasoline when searching for parking, which essentially equates to 930 million gallons of gas and 18.6 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions yearly. On the other side, electric cars are expensive, and public transport is not the safest option during the pandemic. 

So, can an average vehicle driver lower their carbon footprint? It turns out you can do a lot more to lower your carbon footprint than you think. Here at Parkaze, we are all about sustainable and eco-friendly initiatives, so we have compiled five tips to reduce fuel consumption up to about 20% – take a look when you go out on your next drive. 

Anticipate traffic flow

Pay attention to signs and traffic lights to anticipate your speed and road control to prevent abrupt moves. Also, download a navigation app on your phone (see Waze) to plan ahead to see if your current route is congested with traffic or not.

Slow down

Reducing speed by only a few miles/hour can lower your gas expenses considerably. The faster you drive, the worse your gas mileage and fuel consumption will be. Use cruise control on highways, so you don’t speed up without noticing. (Not to mention, state patrols are keeping an eye out for overspeeding!)

Avoid idling

If you are waiting in your car, make sure to turn the engine off – this will massively decrease your gas mileage.  You might be tempted to warm up your vehicle during the blistering cold days of Boston, but if you have a fuel-injected engine, you wouldn’t need to waste your fuel. 

Break Steadily

Sudden breaks are detrimental for your vehicle, so prevent them as this will lead to a reduction in gas mileage. Strive to stay safe on the road, which will keep your vehicle’s engines at the highest quality possible!

Book parking in advance

1.7 billion gallons of fuel are wasted every year in the United States in search of parking alone. Save time and fuel by booking your parking spot ahead of time. Parkaze’s seamless platform allows you to find, reserve, and prepay your parking post, so you don’t have to worry about circling the block or being ticketed. 

Find a spot now!

For more info on energy-efficient driving, visit ecodriving.org.