How to Save on Petrol

With the average price of petrol going up and not likely to stop rising any time soon--"it's time for people to modify the way they drive," says Paul Raj, a spokesperson for the Malaysian Automobile Association (MAA). The biggest impact on your wallet will come from cutting down your car time--walk, use public transportation, and work from home when you can--but when your wheels are the only option, little tweaks can go a long way. Here, experts and real women share some tips to beat the squeeze at the petrol pump:

* Travel in packs. "My friends and I started carpooling for convenience and time, and now we are all saving real money," says Margaret Wong, 43, from PJ. The mother of three regularly shuttles six or seven kids in her van to sporting events, church, the pool, or skateboarding club. And when she is booked on a catering job--her part-time gig--she and her coworkers meet at a commuter lot and pile into one car.

* Go gentle on the pedal. Lisa Lim, 45, from Kajang, stretches out her visits to the petrol pump by coasting toward stopped traffic. "I look ahead to see the light turning red, take my foot off the accelerator, and let the car's momentum carry me," she says. According to Paul, aggressive driving--slamming your foot down hard on the petrol or brakes--compromises your car's fuel efficiency, as does being a speed demon. "Simply dropping your speed from 70 mph to 60 mph can improve fuel economy by up to 23 percent," she says.

* Multitask your trips. Consolidate errands to make every car ride a multipurpose affair. "After putting the kids down, my husband or I used to get in the car just to get out of the house, the excuse being we needed petrol or aspirin," says May Lee, 45, the mother of a 5-year-old and 4-year-old triplets in KL. "But once petrol prices hit RM2.40, we made changes. Now I'll hit the pharmacy, the supermarket, Giant, and Tesco on the way home from work, then stay in for the night. We're definitely stretching out our tank."

* Watch the energy (and money) drains. Avoid idling (Paul recommends shutting off your engine any time you're sitting in a parking space for more than 90 seconds), keep your tyres inflated (fuel efficiency drops by 2 or 3 percent when your tyres aren't full), remove the junk from your trunk (a heavier car burns more petrol), and roll up the windows and use air-conditioning on the highway (that's right--open windows actually create aerodynamic drag, burning extra petrol).