By Madeline Klein on December 18, 2019 in Travel
This year when exploring the best and worst cities to drive in the US, our Southeastern states seem to have this in the bag, while some major US cities seem to be letting drivers down. Thanks to WalletHub's comparison of the 100 most populated cities, we've got your five best and five worst cities to be a driver, based on cost, traffic and road conditions, safety, and driver and car wellness. Keeping this list in mind, we wanted to help find some ways for our drivers to combat these pain points. Our No. 1 contender: gas mileage. Turns out, there are a couple easy things all drivers can do to save gas and money!
The Best:
5. Winston-Salem, NC
4. Tampa, FL
3. Lincoln, NE
2. Orlando, FL
1. Raleigh, NC
The Worst:
96. Newark, NJ
97. San Francisco, CA
98. Philadelphia, PA
99. Oakland, CA
100. Detroit, MI
Our Chicago drivers also ranked in the top five for longest commute time in 2019. Sadly, we don’t have instructions on teleportation, but we can give you a few tips and tricks to use less gas during your travel time.
1. Look ahead. When you anticipate what's to come on the road, you reduce the amount of times you have to slam on the brakes or punch the gas pedal. Decreasing these rapid changes cause your mileage to increase significantly!
2. Slow and steady. Just know that sticking to the speed limit increases fuel efficiency quite a bit. The ideal speed for the best gas mileage: 45 mph.
3. Know when, and when not to idle. If you're going to stop for longer than 30 seconds, it's best to just turn off your car and save on gas.
4. Be selective with cruise control. When the roads are flat, cruise control can be your best friend. However, if you're driving on a lot of hills, it's harder for your cruise control to maintain a constant speed and will cost you 14 percent more in gas.
5. Keep your cool. It’s proven that angry or stressed drivers waste more fuel. If you are feeling tense behind the wheel, remember those yoga breathing exercises and focus on what you will do with all of the money you are saving!
For more ideas on how to increase your gas mileage check out this article from MoneyTalksNews!