Driving Skills: Accelerate with Care

Driving Skills: Accelerate with Care

Proper acceleration not only effects your gas mileage, but also affects your safety.


From Fueleconomy.gov: Many Factors Affect Fuel Economy

Quick acceleration and heavy braking can reduce fuel economy by up to 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town. New EPA tests account for faster acceleration rates, but vigorous driving can still lower MPG.

From the NHTSA: Evaluation of a Prototype Safer Teen Car

A significant number of teen drivers are involved in crashes during the first few years after getting a license. Research has shown that risky driving behaviors such as speeding or excessive maneuvers contribute to these crashes. In response, we have developed a Driver Support System, which may reduce the rate of risky driving behaviors by teens. The Driver Support System provides warnings if a driver carries out known risky behaviors. For example, the warnings will occur when the driver uses a cell phone, if the driver exceeds the speed limit, if the driver is not buckled, or if the driver accelerates aggressively.” The purpose of the study is to determine if the Driver Support System does assist teens in reducing risky driving behaviors