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.