How You Can Save on Gas

— -- People are worried about the cost of gasoline and the effect of driving on the environment. Are there things you can do to save gas?

Here are some numbers, put together by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, which suggest that little changes can add up to big savings.

Ease up on the gas pedal. If you're one of those people who enjoy the feel of going from zero-to-60 in 5.2 seconds, you'll save money if you ease up for a while. "Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds," says the government. If gas costs $2.25, the government calculates that easing up on your lead foot could save you up to 75 cents per gallon.

Slow down. Most cars are at their most efficient cruising at 40 mph to 60 mph; your gas mileage tails off if you go faster. The EPA says, depending on what you drive, you could improve your gas mileage by 7 percent to 23 percent -- though if you drive on rural Interstates, where the speed limit is 75 mph, you may feel less than safe.

Use cruise control. The Web site Edmunds.com did a test with a Land Rover and improved its gas mileage by 14 percent.

Keep your engine tuned and your tires inflated. These are good things to do for other reasons, but it turns out they save only 3 percent to 4 percent.

Other things turn out to be urban legends. Open the windows instead of running the air conditioning? Sure, a/c puts a drag on your engine — but the open windows put aerodynamic drag on your car. It's a wash.

In the longer term, a lot of policy makers lament that consumers can't really make much difference (carpooling is great, but not a lot of us do it). Real changes would come from new technology, and -- if Americans go along with it -- more aggressive policy on energy use.