Well I have been hypermiling my 2003 Honda Accord L4 Automatic for three tankfuls now. Averaging about 32 mpg, that's about 50/50 mix of highway and stop/go driving (commuting). The main things I do are drive the speed limit, accelerate modestly, and coast (if I can avoid disrupting traffic) when I anticipate traffic slowing or lights changing.
This morning I was in the right lane as usual on my first stretch of road doing the speed limit, 65MPH. As everyone was passing me, I had these thoughts.
Very few people drive at or under the speed limit.
Rude people will camp out right on your bumper, even in the right lane of a multilane highway, if you are driving the speed limit. It's like they are messaging me come on, let's go, what's wrong with you?
I connect these thoughts and realize that not many people are conserving the gas they use. Furthermore, most of these people are not conserving the money they use. They are the ones who have the new cars with payments, fancy cell phones with data package plans, heavily mortgaged big houses, fancy dinners and frequent eating out, expensive vacations that they "deserve" etc. etc. That post MMM did yesterday, the case study of the elementary school principal, is a complete summary of what is wrong with average American thinking. I'm guessing we won't have to worry about MMM's blog being overrun. How small a minority ARE the fiscally sane in this country?