If you don't want to spend as much on gas, due to the high prices, you may want to avoid speeding to reduce fuel consumption. 

In fact, Christine Niemczyk, Director of Corporate Communications with CAA Saskatchewan, shared tips for how to spend less on gas just by how you drive.

"We know that when you increase speed, more power is needed to push the car through the air and driving at lower speeds can greatly reduce fuel consumption," she noted. "As well, don't idle. That is something that I see and can be guilty of at times as well. When you're parked and waiting for someone else, you're idling and you wait, you could waste a liter of gas every 20 minutes that your vehicle is idling, so if you're going to be stopped for 60 seconds or more, trying to turn off the engine." 

Niemczyk said she's been saving gas by combining many visits or errands into one trip to avoid starting and stopping and going to various locations throughout the day. 

"Your vehicle will be more fuel efficient when it's warmed up, so several short trips with a cold engine can use twice as much gas than one longer trip," she said.

Vehicle maintenance is also a key component in fuel savings.

"Under-inflated tires increase fuel consumption by up to 4 per cent and regular maintenance services can help your vehicle run more efficiently," she noted. 

"We also want to talk about accelerating gently. We know from one study that frequent jackrabbit starts and hard-braking reduces travel time by only 4 per cent, but increases fuel consumption by 39 per cent. So be easy on your pedal, and accelerate gently."

Coasting to de-accelerate, she said, helps save on the brakes.

"So by looking ahead how traffic is behaving, you can often see well in advance when it's time to slow down, and you can also conserve fuel and save money by taking your foot off the accelerator and coasting to slow down instead of using your brakes." 

Niemczyk also suggested talking to a mechanic or seeing what your vehicle's manual says about reducing fuel consumption.

"We also have on our website what we call the CAA Driving Cost Calculator, and it can break down the true expenses of models of cars and their average costs for maintenance, gas, insurance, and depreciation."

Find more HERE.