Chicago recently claimed another first—the highest gasoline prices in the country. Instead of boasting about this new Numero Uno status, we are screaming, kicking, and fighting back! With gasoline priced above four dollars a gallon, many motorists are trying to eke out as much mileage as possible from every gallon. This latest trend is called “hypermiling.”

To write about this phenomenon, I conducted an unscientific study with family. All readily shared ways of soothing their gas pains, so to speak. In fact, daughter Sarah unwittingly sparked the idea for this column.

A week ago, I was a passenger in Sarah’s sporty Chevy Camaro T-top. The speed limit was 45 mph we were barely going 35. I asked Sarah why she was driving so slowly, and she replied, “Muuutherrrr, I’m coasting. Everyone does it now. You know, to save gas. It’s okay to coast as long as there is no one right behind you.” She explained that drivers following slower “coasters” often get angry—some to the point of giving the offenders the one finger salute.

Son-in-law Jed smartly shared wife Sarah’s coasting concept. “Let gravity be your fuel,” he advised. “If the stoplight ahead is red, don’t use the gas pedal, coast.” His driving motto? “Don’t rush to wait.”

Recently, my friend Jan realized a life-long dream when she purchased a Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible. According to fueleconomy.gov, this 1989 gas-guzzler gets about 12 mpg/city and 16 mpg/ highway. While cruising in it on a summer day may be cool, a not so hot feature is this eight-cylinder ragtop uses only premium gasoline. While it may appear Jan is thumbing her nose at ever-rising gas prices, the truth is she is saving money as she only drives this beauty locally on weekends. Now that’s a foolproof way to stretch the fuel in that 22-gallon gas tank.

Lastly, some drivers are following United Parcel Service’s (UPS) initiative of planning driving routes with mostly right hand turns. UPS studies revealed that idling while waiting to turn left wastes gas. Avoiding left-hand turns would “save time, conserve fuel, reduce emissions and reduce the potential for accidents.”

When my sister and I discussed this study, she pondered its efficiency if she had to drive further to make mostly right hand turns. The next day, eager to give the study a trial run, she left for work and is still on the road. Eventually, she’ll have to make a left turn to get back on the right track!

~Chicago Mary