Behind the Wheel with Driving2Save
New Website Promotes Safety and Savings
California’s newest gas tax kicked in on November 1, raising pump prices by 12 and 20 cents per gallon for unleaded and diesel, respectively. Heading into the holidays — an entire season of increased road time for errands and family get-togethers — fuel costs can quickly add up. Fortunately for travelers and commuters, there are a bunch of ways to save. Even better, much of that information is now available at an online clearinghouse recently launched by a Santa Barbara trio.
“The smarter you drive, the more you’re going to save,” said Brian Goebel, founder and CEO of Driving2Save.com. In addition to a couple old favorites — such as maintaining proper tire pressure and refraining from circling a parking lot until a prime spot opens up — the site goes in-depth on other gas-saving tips. Not using your roof-mounted bike rack? Take it off and save big. Hitting the highway? Set your cruise control instead of surging around manually. And turn down — or off — that AC, especially at idle. The site also outlines safety concerns — such as properly fastening car seats — and product reviews of battery-powered air compressors and waterless car-wash treatments, for example.
“We’ve done all the research so that consumers can make better decisions,” said Westmont College alum Erin Erickson, the company’s executive editor.
