ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue today asked Georgians to help with fuel conservation in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike by taking practical steps to improve fuel efficiency.  With gasoline prices rising and crude oil supplies in the Gulf of Mexico temporarily disrupted, fuel conservation is a necessary tool to help manage the supply of fuel and reduce the impact of higher fuel costs.    

“Georgians have been through this before with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and we’ll manage the temporary effects of Hurricane Ike through common sense and conservation,” said Governor Sonny Perdue.  “We can all help by reducing unnecessary travel, carpooling and using mass transit, telecommuting, driving a little slower, and fueling only when low on gas.”  

            Some practical fuel efficiency tips for drivers include:

• Drive sensibly:  Speeding, rapid acceleration (jackrabbit starts), and rapid braking lowers gas mileage. 
• Choose the right vehicle:  If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible.
• Decrease speed:  Gas mileage decreases rapidly when driving more than 60 miles-per-hour.
• Avoid idling:  Idling gets zero miles per gallon.  Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas while idling than cars with smaller engines.
• Inflate your tires:  Keeping tires properly inflated improves gas mileage.

 Commute alternatives are also a useful way to conserve fuel, including telework, carpool and transit options, and flexible work schedules.  More information is available about commute alternatives at www.CleanAirCampaign.com.

Fuel efficiency tips are provided by the Drive Smarter Challenge.  The Drive Smarter Challenge (www.DriveSmarterChallenge.org) is a partnership between the Alliance to Save Energy and the National Association of State Energy Officials.

Contact: Office of Communications                404-651-7774        , Shane Hix, GEFA                (404) 584-1043