John Linden: Hi! I'm John Linden, Master ASE Certified Technician and North America Training Manager for Midas International Corporation. Today I am talking about what you can do while driving to help increase the fuel efficiency of your vehicle.

There would be little dispute that the number one thing that the average driver does that waste fuel is the way they accelerate from a stop light or a stop sign. If you push the gas paddle down too fast you do what is known as a jackrabbit start. What that means is that your vehicle accelerates quickly and in order to do that you need a rich mixture and the richer the fuel mixture the more fuel you will use.

The key is to pull away from the stop slowly and evenly. The other big contributor to wasting fuel is by going faster than a speed limit. It's simple, the faster you go the more fuel you will use.

All too many people stay into the gas pedals they approach the red light causing unnecessary quick and hard stops and wasted fuel. A quick tip is to take your foot off the gas pedal when you first see the upcoming red light, allowing the vehicle to begin slowing down on its own.

Let's talk about all the stuff people have a tendency to carry in their trunk other car or stashed in the back of a van. That extra weight requires more power to move the vehicle, more power means more fuel.

To save fuel make sure you are not carting around extra weight in your car. Allowing your engine to idle excessively also waste fuel and it pollutes the air. While most people can't avoid sitting in rush-hour traffic with their vehicle either way in, you should take advantage of those situations when you can't turn off the engine such as when your spouse runs into the grocery store while you wait in the car, turn off your engine. It helps save fuel, money and keeps the air a little cleaner.

So these are some additional things you can do to help increase the fuel efficiency of your vehicle. I hope these tips help you save some money. Good luck!