It's about attitude

[VegasDude]

While I'm pretty new to this eco-driving thing I can already tell it's definately not for everyone. Not very many people in Las Vegas at least. What it’s all about is attitude.

Will you wake up 5 minutes earlier or be rushed on your daily commute?

Will you look past the traffic light 100 feet away and see the next one is red anyway, or will you zoom around traffic and then slam on your brakes?

Will you pay attention to the timing of the lights or the text messages on your iPhone?

Will you invest $1 in a tire pressure guage or just trust the oil change mechanic to do it?

Most importantly will you change you attitude about driving from “OMG I have to get there asap! Who’s calling me now? What’s this bozo doing the speed limit in the right lane!?” to “Hmmm, leaves are really starting to change….Speaking of change, that traffic light is about to. I think I’ll kick it in neutral and put on some Bob Marley.”

That’s about the best way I can explain it.

[user removed]

The only cure for attitude is knowledge.

As the man said "You can't fix stupid".

I get the full range of attitude about my obsession with fuel economy, from bravo, to you're a nut.

Then I hear about some burning $20 a day in fuel just to get to work and back.

I also talk to people who have studied the art of better mileage, and even some who understand it is not necessary to crawl down the road and interfere with the flow of traffic.

After all, isn't it much better for everyone to improve their mileage by 10-20% than for a few to double their EPA.

When it really intrigues them is when they realize that in a 20 mile drive, I can get 40% better mileage, while the difference in arrival time is measured in seconds.

If their attitude doesn't change after that experience, then they need a little math. Say 15 bucks a day, 200 days a year, for 30 years at 7%.

That's a lot of cash.

regards
Mech

[bgd73]

time does it all.

[gone-ot]

...unfortunately, some people have far more CA$H than GRAY matter, and could care less about such mundane aspects of fiscal / ecological issues.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by VegasDude

While I'm pretty new to this eco-driving thing I can already tell it's definately not for everyone. Not very many people in Las Vegas at least.

However, you do need to realize that Las Vegas is not a representative sample of the population.

Nothing personal, but (living in Northern Nevada as I do) I occasionally have to deal with people from Las Vegas. Not one was anywhere close to what I'd consider sanity. I've known some that have moved there, and they all eventually became nuts. In a way, Las Vegans are like New Yorkers & Washingtonians: their city builds its own reality, which is only loosely connected to the rest of the world.

[VegasDude]

I've lived in a few places in my life and Las Vegas is definitely the worst in many ways. Rational thought is rarely practiced in anyone from the meth infested trailer parks right to the top of the government.

In order for me to stay sane I've distanced myself from the city even while living in it. Too many people are overcome by self made crises. My biggest problem is one traffic light on my drive home I can't seem to time up right. I try to live a stress-free life.

[jamesqf]

Yeah. Las Vegas is in a desert, so they build casinos with water features, and when the heat causes the algae to grow and turn the water green, they dye it blue. And they build golf courses with lush green turf, which promptly turns brown from the heat, so they dye it green, to match the blue dye in the water hazards.

Oh, and their economy depends on tourism, much of which arrives by air, so they build a thousand-foot tower in the approach path, and have laser light shows that blind pilots...