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Old 06-27-2008, 10:13 AM   #4 (permalink)
NoCO2
Bicycle Junky
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 464

Putsaround - '96 Toyota Camry LE
90 day: 32.74 mpg (US)

The Commuter - '07 Trek 1000SL
90 day: 617.28 mpg (US)

Zippy - '91 Honda Civic DX
90 day: 33.29 mpg (US)
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OMG! But, what about all those cars back before they had power steering or power brakes!? How did they ever function!?

This is why I always tell people that ride with me and ask about saving gas to practice in a parking lot and make sure they know what to expect before they EVER go on the road and do it. I also tell them to make sure they know how it's going to act with EVERY movement you make. For example, if your steering locks when you turn off the ignition, then you should not EOC or else you might die. Make sure you pump your brakes several times so you know EXACTLY how much force it's going to take to stop your car without power assist brakes. Make sure you know where your hazard lights are without even thinking about it so in case your car doesn't start back up you can get them turned on VERY quickly and get out of the road as fast as possible.

All of these articles I have read assume that everyone does it without knowing what's going to happen before they do. Granted, a lot of the general public probably would, but this is in a country where you can also get your driver's license without any mandatory driver training and education. IMO, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the majority of hypermiling techniques. Rolling through stop signs and drafting, in another of my opinions, yes, is unsafe, however, if the driver chooses to do it then they are taking a risk that could potentially cause them and other drivers harm (more so the stop sign thing then drafting). Not to mention, those two are also the only techniques that are illegal which begs the question why, if so many people are tailgating and rolling stop signs, why haven't more people been getting pulled over for these things?
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