Feel free to pass

Have you heard of hyper-miling? At least, I think that's what it's called. Basically, you try to squeeze every possible mile out of a gallon of gas. Some of the best can manage 100+ miles per gallon (at least, I think that's what I read in Reader's Digest). Unbelievable! Of course, there are drawbacks.

For instance, luxury. Forget about rolling down the windows or cranking up the AC on a steamy day. No. Doing either would reduce gas mileage either by increasing the drag on the vehicle or upping the fuel consumption. Instead, don a cold pack and sweat it out. After all, you ARE saving money by conserving fuel (well, stretching it anyway).

And don't even think about arriving at your destination on time, unless of course you tack on an extra 30 minutes to your estimated travel time. See, for hyper-miling to really work, you have to be able to coast, which means that you probably won't maintain the 50 mph you usually drive.

As crazy as all of this sounds, I thought I'd give it a shot, especially considering gas prices nowadays. Granted, I don't drive too far, and don't have to fill up my car very often, but I still want to stretch a tank's worth of gas, so why not give it a shot? If anything, it's almost been like a personal challenge to see exactly how far I can go before stepping on the gas. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll achieve 100+, but that's a lofty goal for this area.

See, just as I let off the gas, I glance in the rearview mirror for traffic, praying that no one is behind me. Good so far. Ahhh. Coming up to a stop sign. Can I make it without having to tap the gas? Yes. Okay, depress the gas pedal and continue to the crest of the hill, then release. Excellent. A quick view in the mirror and... drat. I'm being followed. Okay, well, this other car is about five houses back, so I don't have to step on the gas just yet. If I could only make the next stop sign. Another peek. It's closer. C'mon, the stop sign's just around this corner. The speedometer's dropping to 20-18-16. The stop sign's just 200 meters away. 150. 100. The car... is right behind me. Darn. And the driver seems to be in a hurry. *sigh* I step on the gas, traveling 25 meters at 25 mph only to slam on the breaks at the last second. Looks like I won't be setting any records today.