Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
But I won't gun it to prevent someone from sneaking in front of me either, despite the reptilian part of my brain screaming at me to stand on the go pedal.
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Yep, this will happen. On any given run, there will be numerous cars zipping in front of me during the bumper-to-bumper sections, just as there will be numerous cars passing me on the highway.
That's where I'd really love the "Why race to red lights?" bumper sticker. I'll have to get some made up. I know when I used to do this (back before I made the logical connection between heating up brake pads and lack of fuel economy), I'd feel really stupid and guilty when they'd pull up behind me at a red light.
The thing is, in bumper-to-bumper, the gain you get by driving like a 17 year old male is minimal. Literally, every car that passes you is only 15 feet in front of you, max. If they make it through a red light and you don't, you usually end up just behind them while they are waiting at the next red light.
On the highway, going 80kph or so does result in reaching the destination appreciably slower. However, we must remember that we are saving after-tax money, so a comparison with what your wage is will require adjustment. Depending on how much you are earning and what you are driving, driving slower has the very real possibility of approaching your pay rate. Think of it as a form of overtime.
But yes, driving slower than traffic does take some getting used to, but after a while you can get so obsessed with not wasting fuel that your priorities change. Especially after you start pulse and gliding, and seeing how much longer the glides go at lower speeds.