Twice a week, I have to drive about 75 miles (almost all highway) round trip for a class. It generally takes about 45 minutes each way, and easily a quarter of a tank of gas. It's costing about $60 to top up the tank these days, so the extra money that I'm getting paid for a class that's outside of my usual range isn't going as far as I'd hoped.
I usually set my cruise control to 70, and don't mind when I get passed, which is pretty often. I've been reading a lot about how lower speeds can improve mpg, so I decided to slow down even more. Yesterday, I set the cruise for 65 for most of each way.
It's hard to tell if I did save much/any gas, but I was getting passed even more than before, if that's possible. If I'd tried to go 55, I'd probably get in an accident. I remember back in the 70's, when Carter first established the 55/hour speed limit, it was to save gas, not lives. Saving lives was just a bonus. I read about one guy who went 45 on the highway, and got truly phenomenal mileage, but he said that he didn't recommend it.
Even with gas prices going crazy, I don't see a lot of people slowing down, and I wonder why that is. Habit? Time being more valuable than money?
We're planning on driving to Florida in the fall, and going straight through instead of stopping half way, as we did the past two times. I'm wondering about the value of getting there as quickly as we can versus saving some money. We'll have to see what the situation is like in a few months.
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