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Put the brakes on accelerating driving costs

Many of us are trying to reduce our driving costs. And manufacturers are helping: More and more vehicles are now equipped with onboard data centers that measure everything from the vehicle’s fuel efficiency to average speed. If you don’t have these features in your vehicle, here are some tools that may help you get to your destination more cost-effectively.

Let’s review the basics
This may seem like a no-brainer, but your driving style and your vehicle’s state of repair (or disrepair) can affect your fuel consumption significantly.

● Don’t drive with a heavy foot, keep it steady. Rapid acceleration and braking can lower gas mileage whether you’re on the highway or in town. Make it your goal to avoid driving aggressively.
● Don’t idle (sitting in neutral while engine is running). If you’re stopping for more than 10 seconds — except in traffic — turn off your engine. Idling uses more gas than restarting your engine.1
● Properly maintain your car. Follow guidelines in your owner’s manual. They’re intended to provide optimum vehicle performance.

Use your smartphone
Smartphones can be incredibly useful for car owners, offering a selection of apps, many free of charge, which can help save both time and money. Here’s a selection of tools that may be helpful. Most are available for both Android and Apple phones. Some also support BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices.

Important note: It isn’t safe to use your smartphone while driving. Instead, pull over and check your phone or give the device to a passenger while you keep your attention on driving.

Waze
Considered the go-to app for cars on the road, Waze is one of the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation apps. You can join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute. And it’s simple to use — when you start your car, open the app and enter your destination. Waze does the rest. Waze is a free app available for Apple, Android and Windows phones.

greenMeter
Want to know what your lead foot is costing you? Get the greenMeter, an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch: It computes your vehicle’s power and fuel usage characteristics and evaluates your driving to help you increase efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. Results are displayed in real time so feedback is instantaneous. greenMeter is available for $5.99; the company claims the software can pay for itself within one or two tanks of gas.2

aCar
aCar is a tool to help you track your vehicle’s fuel mileage and expenses to see if it’s operating at peak efficiency. aCar will also remind you when it’s time for maintenance services such as changing engine oil, air filter, oil filter, etc. aCar is free for Android, Amazon Kindle Fire and BlackBerry phones.

Fuelly
Fuelly lets you track, share and compare your gas mileage. Simply sign up, add a car or motorcycle, and begin tracking your mileage. Fuelly is a mobile site rather than an app, so there is nothing to download or install. Visit http://m.fuelly.com from your smartphone and add data right from the gas pump. Fuelly gives you instant feedback about your fuel efficiency. You can search the site for other drivers with the same make and model as your vehicle to see efficiency comparisons.

Common sense
In addition to the apps we’ve highlighted, you can probably come up with many ways to conserve — combine trips to town; telecommute to work once a week, if possible; carpool and/or use public transportation when available. Check out Farmers Facebook page for more great tips on saving.