{"id":3852,"date":"2005-05-21T16:38:37","date_gmt":"2005-05-21T20:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2005\/05\/21\/gas-pain\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:57:42","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:57:42","slug":"gas-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/05\/21\/gas-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"gas pain?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Back in April, a pretty <\/FONT>CNN<\/FONT><\/A> newsreader said viewers who’ve been having <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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trouble paying to fill their gas tank should stay tuned for some tips on how to<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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cope.   I did, and was a bit disappointed that the consumer segment offered <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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only one<\/EM> solution to higher gasoline prices — buy a new hybrid car.  That’s right:  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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just rush out and purchase a new car that costs $3000 to $6000 more than <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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similar all-gasoline models.  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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rising gas prices–<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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an attendant changing numbers<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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in a pouring rain<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/DIV>
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   Michael Dylan Welch<\/FONT><\/A> <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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      from <\/FONT>Modern Haiku<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A> (Winter-Spring 2005)<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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 \"gas<\/FONT>  <\/FONT>Somehow, I don’t think a new hybrid car is the solution for <\/FONT>these folk<\/FONT><\/A> <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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(wcco.<\/FONT>com, “Low-Income Drivers Look for Help with High Gas Prices,” March 18, 2005).  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Even people who consider themselves middle-class Americans might find adding a <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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new Prius, much less the $50,000 Lexus hybrid SUV, impractical. (bankrate.com, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“<\/FONT>Is a hybrid car right for you?<\/FONT><\/A>“)  So, what can you do if gas prices are killing you?<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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      gridlock
         on the freeway–
the skywriting drifts<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Michael Dylan Welch<\/FONT><\/A> <\/FONT> from <\/FONT><\/FONT>Open Window<\/FONT><\/A> – <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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click <\/FONT>here<\/FONT><\/A> for orig. photo & poem<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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My former employer, the Federal Trade Commission, has come to the rescue, with  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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a Consumer Alert — <\/FONT>Good, Better, Best: How to Improve Gas Mileage<\/FONT><\/A>  (May 19, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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2005, <\/FONT>press release<\/FONT><\/A>).  Beyond buying an alternative fuel vehicle or hybrid car, the <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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FTC and American Automobile Association suggest a dozen ideas that can improve <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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your fuel efficiency noticeably.  Here are a few that you<\/EM> might want to keep in mind <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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(and me, too):<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Drive more efficiently<\/STRONG> – stay within posted speed limits (Gas mileage  \"55<\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 miles per hour); stop aggressive <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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driving and jackrabbit starts; use overdrive and cruise control; avoid <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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unnecessary idling. Combine errands; avoid packing items on the car <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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roof (can cut down efficincy 5%);  remove excess weight (no, not your <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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spouse) — 100 fewer pounds can save 2%. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Maintain your car<\/STRONG> – keep the engine tuned, tires properly inflated and <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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aligned, change the oil on schedule, and check and replace air filters regularly. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Replacing clogged filters can increase gas mileage up to 10 percent.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Use the proper octane level<\/STRONG> – if your engine isn’t knocking with regular <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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octane, there’s no benefit to go higher.  <\/FONT><\/DIV><\/FONT><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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update<\/FONT><\/STRONG><\/EM>: As we stated in a <\/FONT>post on June 14<\/FONT><\/A>, 2005, “driving at 10 miles an hour above the 65 <\/FONT>miles-per-hour limit increases fuel consumption <\/FONT>by 15 percent.” (See NYT<\/EM>, “Unmentioned <\/FONT><\/FONT>Energy Fix<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A>: A 55M.P.H. Speed Limit,” May <\/FONT>1, 2005)<\/FONT> <\/FONT>
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\"tiny <\/FONT>Walter Olson is relieved<\/FONT><\/A> that “<\/STRONG>Menace of gasoline underpricing averted <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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again”  It seems that Maryland has been invoking a law, meant to prevent predatory <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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prices used to drive competitors out of the market, which prohibits selling gasoline <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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below cost.  I’d explain why this approach is not always a silly one, but it’s too nice <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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outside right now.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"tiny  The New York Times reports<\/A><\/EM> today that America’s “Love Affair with S.U.V.’s <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Begins to Cool” (May 21, 2005).<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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“tinyredcheck”   Not really related<\/EM> — except that it might make the roads safer and reduce beer-<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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belly-drag ineffiency: The Harvard Gazette<\/EM> reports that “<\/FONT>Kudzu Cuts Alcohol Consumption<\/FONT><\/A>” <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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by about one-half.  <\/FONT><\/DIV><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"ooh\" <\/FONT>Gary Bloom<\/FONT><\/A> at EdmondsForum<\/EM> recently mentioned an Unintended <\/FONT>Consequence of <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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hybrid cars — more roadkill:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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[S]ince I already scolded SUVs for their psychopathic tendency to kill<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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humans, it’s only fair that I point out the danger of almost silent cars, which <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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hybrids are at slow speeds. Ever see a “Deaf Child in Neighborhood” sign? <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Hybrids make us all, in effect, deaf. Drivers of hybrids are noting that silence <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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is not golden; they’re <\/FONT>running over unwary animals<\/FONT><\/A> and it could <\/FONT>get worse<\/FONT><\/A>. <\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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 <\/DIV>
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spring breeze–
three ride the same horse
home<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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a penny’s worth of
cold water, the horse
drinks too<\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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 <\/DIV>
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\"pickup<\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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sound of a horse
gobbling grass…
fireflies flitting<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Kobayashi ISSA<\/FONT><\/A>, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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translated by <\/FONT>David G. Lanoue<\/FONT><\/A><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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<\/EM><\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/FONT><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/BLOCKQUOTE><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in April, a pretty CNN newsreader said viewers who’ve been having trouble paying to fill their gas tank should stay tuned for some tips on how to cope.   I did, and was a bit disappointed that the consumer segment offered only one solution to higher gasoline prices — buy a new hybrid car.  That’s right:  […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2926],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pre-06-2006"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6kP1R-108","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3852"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13210,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3852\/revisions\/13210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}