Does cruise control save gas?

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David Rizzo
Dr. Road Map, Dr. Road Map
www.drroadmap.com  
(714) 879-8521

David, DR. ROADMAP, Rizzo burst upon the traffic scene in late 1987 as the first person in Los Angeles to offer alternate routes to motorists who were sick and tired of being stuck in traffic. In 1990 he released to the world the most comprehensive guide ever written of off-freeway commuting in Southern California. Two years later he became the first traffic reporter to offer daily alternate routes in real time over the air on one of the most popular morning radio shows in Los Angeles. Dr. Roadmap continues to provide COMMUTE MANAGEMENT solutions with the 2006 release of his book, "Survive the Drive! How to Beat Freeway Traffic in Southern California."

Does cruise control save gas?

David Rizzo, fuel economy expert, explains how to drive your car to improve gas mileage.

This expert: 200,338 views

This series: 51,139 views

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Host: Does cruise control save gas? David Rizzo: Not really, no, unless you are on a long trip like driving out to the desert or to Vegas or something like that, I wouldn't use cruise control. Now categorically I can say never use cruise control in stop-and-go traffic. Nothing will suck up gas quicker. Even adaptive cruise controls which they have on some luxury cars which calculate the distance and ease off the gas a little bit, there is still, nothing better than the human brain and cruise controls tend to either push the gas too hard, let off too suddenly and we know that rapid acceleration uses more gas. So don't use the cruise control especially in stop-and-go traffic and if you are going up a hill definitely shut it off especially when you first start up the hill because what a cruise control will do is floor that paddle. The computer says, God we have got a get up to speed, so it floors the gas and you waste it whereas on your own you can ease on the gas gradually get up the hill and then ease off a bit. So I'd go easy on the cruise control.

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