Don’t like the price of gasoline? Drive 55 mph instead of 70 or 75 and you will save about one gallon of gasoline out of each 11 gallons. You’ll also save wear on your tires and car parts. Driving over 60 mph and you’re blowing wasted gasoline out of your tail pipe.

In the 1970s, we had an oil embargo by the Arabs against the U.S. The top legal speed in Michigan and most states was 55 mph, even on the expressway. States that didn’t go to 55 mph lost all federal funds for roadwork. Deaths and terrible injuries went down dramatically.

If just 50 percent of the American people would slow down to 55, there would be so much fuel sitting in the gas stations that the major oil companies would have to sell gasoline at $2.00 per gallon just to make room for the fuel that they purchased overseas. However, the Americans are unlikely to change their driving habits.

David Viau, Cedar Springs

Gas prices shot up from $3.87 per gallon to over $4.00 this week for the first time since August 2008.

Prices in the Cedar Springs area averaged $4.15, before dropping down to $4.08 or $4.09 Tuesday. In 2008, they hit $4.25.

According to Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan, of Gas Buddy.com, such spikes are usually seen in April. “We’re 31 cents per gallon

ahead of our year ago pace (as of Monday), and I’m seriously contemplating revising my January forecasts upward having seen things race higher, faster than expected. If there’s any ounce of good news for motorists, its that such high prices so quickly may mean prices will peak in April rather than May,” DeHaan said.

Some experts have suggested we might see $5 per gallon. Is the high price of gas causing you to cut down on your driving? What are you doing to save gas? Email us at news@cedarspringspost.com or comment on this story on our website at cedarspringspost.com.

Are you going to be one of the 1.33 million residents traveling 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday this week? That’s how many people AAA Michigan estimates will be on the road Wednesday, November 23 to Sunday, November 27. That’s nine percent more people traveling in Michigan this year than last year. Nationally, the number is up four percent, to 42.5 million.
“This is the first significant increase in any holiday travel this year,” noted AAA Michigan President Steve Wagner.  “Despite the uncertain economy, our projected increase shows more travelers are choosing visiting family and friends over frugality this holiday.”
Vehicle travel remains the most popular form of Thanksgiving transportation.    Ninety percent of Michigan travelers will go by vehicle, down from last year’s ninety-four percent.  Nationally, 90 percent of holiday travelers will also go by vehicle, a four percent increase.
Gasoline prices have fallen 15-20 cents over the last week, depending on where you live. In Cedar Springs, they were $3.26 at press time, and still about 50 cents higher than a year ago.
“Gasoline prices have continued their slow decline in the last week across a solid majority of the United States, with the national average sagging to its lowest level since this past February,” according to GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan. “Many motorists may be giving thanks for the lower gasoline prices until they realize that average prices will still easily exceed prior Thanksgiving Day records,” he added.

Early enthusiasm on the part of traders over the death of Osama bin Laden on Sunday quickly dissipated Monday, and sent gasoline prices skyrocketing on Monday afternoon to a new all-time high of $4.29. The last time they were nearly that high was August/September 2008. Experts say that traders originally felt things would be more secure now that bin Laden is gone, and that drove oil prices down the lowest they had been in three weeks. But fear soon set in, causing prices to rise.
As of press time Wednesday, gas in the Cedar Springs area still ranged from $4.29 to $4.26.

The price on Wednesday, April 27.

Drivers across the area were stunned Monday when gas prices surged to $4.17—the highest they’ve been since summer 2008, when they hit $4.25 per gallon for regular.
There does not appear to be a shortage, and the rise in price is being blamed on legal speculation. Whatever the reason, drivers are taking steps to minimize the impact on their pocketbook.
Landon Case told us on Facebook that he now lives in Los Angeles, and their price is $4.50. He says he has been using public transportation, and that it would affect how much he travels this summer.
Victoria Gonzalez said her family won’t be going far from home this summer either. A “staycation” and pool parties will be more in line with their budget.
Dan Webb recommended driving more fuel efficient cars, but others noted that they should make them more affordable. Another reader said he donates plasma twice weekly to help pay for gas.
Other readers have noted that they go slower on the expressway to save on fuel.
Several readers told us that they think the government should be doing something to stop the rising prices.
Do you have any hints for drivers? Email us at news@cedarspringspost.com.

Gas prices hit a high this week that hasn’t been seen since the summer of 2008. Gas was $3.96 in Cedar Springs, with Admiral being $3.95 at press time on Wednesday.
Michigan is one of several states seeing the high end of the gas prices, but gas is approaching $4 per gallon around the country.
There are signs, however, that Americans may be cutting back on driving because of the high prices. Sales dropped 3 percent at most of the nation’s major gas-station chains, according to a March survey by the Oil Price Information Service.
What are you doing to offset the high gas prices? Write and tell us at news@cedarspringspost.com.
Click here to see what you can do for your car when the gas prices rise.

(ARA) – Remember when $4 seemed like an outrageous amount to spend on a gallon of gasoline? Now that number doesn’t seem so far-fetched. While you can’t do anything to control the unrest in the Middle East or oil rig explosions that could lead to gas prices spiking at a moment’s notice, there are a few things you can do to help ease the pain of high gas prices.
While buying a more fuel-efficient car might be an option for some, new and used cars that get more miles per gallon tend to be more in demand – and more expensive – when gas prices are high. If a new car isn’t an option for you, implementing the following changes can help ensure that you get the most from the fuel in your gas tank:
* Keep the gas you buy in your car. When gas prices are low, stealing gas would likely be more trouble than it’s worth, but when prices are high, it’s not uncommon for thieves to siphon gas from vehicles, especially those with larger tanks. Adding a locking gas cap can be done for much less than the cost of a tank of gas. In addition to preventing theft, locking fuel tank caps can also prevent anyone from tampering with your gas tank.
* Keep your tank full. While you’re looking to reduce the amount of gasoline you are using, constantly running your car with the tank close to empty can wear down your fuel pump. “The gasoline in the tank keeps the fuel pump cool. Take away the gas and the fuel pump runs hot and has a shorter life,” says Tom Taylor, engineer and vice president of RockAuto.com. If you have an older car that has accumulated dirt and rust at the bottom of the tank, keeping a full tank can help your fuel burn cleaner.
* Keep your car in shape. Keeping your engine properly tuned improves fuel efficiency by an average of 4 percent and repairing a major issue like a faulty oxygen sensor could improve efficiency by up to 40 percent, according the U.S. Department of Energy. The RockAuto.com parts catalog has oxygen sensors from $10 to more than $100 depending on the car,” says Taylor. Especially if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you could quickly recoup the cost of an oxygen sensor or other repair after as little as one tank of gas through improved fuel economy.
* Keep your tires inflated properly. Keeping your tires at the optimal level not only keeps you safer, but can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3 percent, according to the Department of Energy. Your owner’s manual should tell you the proper psi (pounds per square inch) levels for your vehicle.
* Drive for optimal gas mileage. How you drive can affect how much gas you use. Most cars run at peak efficiency at around 60 mph, with fuel economy decreasing sharply when traveling faster. Aggressive driving with rapid acceleration and slowing will also have a negative effect on your fuel economy.
* Reduce weight and drag. Getting rid of items such as roof equipment when they aren’t being used can help your car become more aerodynamic and run more efficiently. Keeping unnecessary items in your car, especially if they are heavy, can also make your car work harder and use more fuel than it needs to.
By adding up the small savings gained by each of these tips, you can really notice a difference on how much you are paying at the pump, especially over a long period of time.

Motorists filling up their tanks may see an unpleasant surprise at the pump. The price for a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline was predicted to go up to $3.49-$3.59 throughout Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky on Wednesday. For some gasoline stations this will mean increasing prices as much as 40-cents per gallon compared to prices earlier this week. Here in Cedar Springs, it was $3.39 as of press time Wednesday morning.

“The rise in gasoline prices is due to increasing crude oil prices as Middle East violence continues to make oil exports risky. We’ve seen wholesale gasoline prices continue to rise at the fastest pace since Hurricane Katrina,” said GasBuddy Senior Petroleum Analyst, Patrick DeHaan.

DeHaan is concerned that we may see a “double whammy” at gasoline pumps. He explained that Middle East violence could continue to result in higher gas prices as oil demand also increases ahead of the summer driving season. He expects prices to rise to an average of between $3.65 and $4.05 by the Memorial Day weekend.

“We could see prices spike above $4-per gallon if the situation in the Middle East isn’t resolved soon,” he notes.

Gas prices were $3.35 in Cedar Springs Wednesday.

Gas prices took a hike Tuesday, when they jumped to $3.39 in Cedar Springs and across the metro Grand Rapids area. That was a 25-cent jump that had people lined up at Admiral on Main and Muskegon, historically the last gas station in the area to raise its price. The price had shifted downward to $3.35 at press time Wednesday.

Tom Kloza, publisher and chief energy analyst for the Oil Price Information Service, said in a recent blog that if not for the Egyptian uprising, we would probably be looking at cheaper prices for gasoline and diesel this month.

He also explained that our gasoline inventory is at its highest since 1989, but that it’s winter gasoline. Pipelines and terminal operators will soon be purging the supply system from winter gasoline (which needs to be volatile because of cold temperatures) to spring/summer gasoline, which requires much lower vapor pressure.

“My best guess is that U.S. refinery runs will scrape bottom in late February or early March, and thereby incite a 2011 round of “petronoia” that will lift nationwide retail prices to $3.50-$3.75 gallon,” predicted Kloza.

Forever War

Have you noticed that our wars just seem to go on and on? So have I, so I looked it up.
Since 1675, we have been in 26 wars. Several early ones were against Indians while we were still colonies. Then came the Revolutionary War against the British. Then, more war against the Barbary Pirates. We had the War of 1812, Texas’s fight for independence from Mexico, and the Civil War. We returned to battle in the Spanish American War. (My great uncle fought in that one.)
In 1918 we entered World War I and fought Germany. That was a particularly nasty one, but we were on the winning team.
In World War II we went up against the Germans, Italians, and Japanese. Dec. 7, 1941: the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I’m old enough to remember the day. It was a Sunday, I recall, and our family was stunned with the news. The whole country was stunned. It took about four years but, again, our team won.
Korea split into North and South, and America went to war to support the South. Fresh out of high school, I was there. With the U.S. Army. We still have troops there.
We lost in Vietnam and the Bay of Pigs. We managed to win in Granada and Panama. Then – remember Bosnia?
Afghanistan and Iraq are still in progress.
Will it ever end? There must be a better solution to conflict than blowing up cities, resources, and human beings.

The good season

In the really old days, what we call Christmas was a celebration of the winter solstice (the sun is coming back, the sun is coming back!). The birth of Christ gave us a focus for renewal; the time of year was retained.
Eventually, of course, Santa came down the chimney and Hallmark took over. There’s something for everyone in this joyous celebration of the good things of life. Have a wonderful holiday, everyone. And peace on earth.

Gas

Sister Mary Ann, who served at a home health agency, was out making rounds visiting homebound patients when she ran out of gas. Fortunately, a station was just a block away. She walked down the road to borrow a gas can and buy some gas.
The only gas can the station owned had been loaned out. The attendant said she could wait until it was returned, but Sister was headed to a patient’s house. She decided not to wait.
Back at the car, she looked for some kind of container and spotted the bedpan she was taking to the patient. Always resourceful, Sister Mary Ann carried the bedpan to the station, filled it with gasoline, and carried it back to her car.
As she was pouring the gas into her tank, two Baptist ladies watched from across the street. One of them turned to the other and said, “If it starts, I’m turning Catholic.”

More on War

A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.