Mileage Consious

Most of us are mileage conscious. We are always looking at ways and means to increase the mileage of our automobiles. In most of the crowded cities, we end up getting 11-12 in small cars. I realized that the amount of fuel that gets wasted in traffic jams in huge. Not just one car, hundreds of them coming from all directions, two wheelers included. Is it possible to somehow save some fuel in these traffic heavy zones. If we had a system where, if traffic in one direction was halted for more than 3 minutes, they can ask commuters to shut off their engines. Mostly I try to figure out if I am going to get delayed more than 2 minutes and then shut the engine off.

The amount of fuel that gets saved is quite a lot, put together all the vehicles stuck in the jam. Cars in general use up close to 100 ml petrol for 3-5 minute of idling. It may not be much for a single automobile. But calculating all the vehicles that are burning up fuel without moving is huge. So next time you get stuck at a signal, you can stretch your mileage by using this simple tech niche.

I always wondered why cars gave much poor mileage in the range of 10-13 kms usually. But when you try understand the kind of mechanism that goes into the engine, will you realize how efficient they have been made. Just assume you have a 100 cc bike which gives you a mileage of 60kms/litre. Then If you have a larger engine say 1000 cc, what would you do- divide 60 / 10? I would do that and end up with mileage of 6kms/litre. Small cars as such weigh 800-1000kgs. So the amount of additional weight they carry has to be taken into consideration, Right! Putting all these factors if you still get 6kms/litre you would be lucky. All I am saying is the cars in todays gen are pretty fuel efficient for the kind of weight they carry and work.

I used to wonder, how people could afford the mileage of 10-13kms a litre. I just couldn't digest the fact that I drive a bike that gives me 45kms/litre and people have the money to spend 5times more per km! Even today, for less than two people who are fit , bikes are the best means of travel, in terms of economy,parking, cutting through traffic. It is not the safest, safety lies in how we can tackle obstacles.

For car drivers, it is very necessary for them to look at fellow road users and drive carefully. Its about driving with your eyes open and looking in all directions, taking turns slowly. A small step by driving cautiously can be a long way in keeping people safe on the road.

Every individual has his share to contribute. Pedestrians can search for foot paths to walk on. Of the accidents that happen, mostly pedestrians end up getting hurt. So are the motorists always looking at ways to hurt pedestrians? I think we need to take a interest in our own safety and understand that vehicles don't stop at a shot of the brake above certain speeds. So for any person crossing the road, please look on both sides, calculate the distance from oncoming traffic, and only if its safe,then cross the road.

My grandfathers foot was run over by a double decker bus in 1952. It was a harrowing experience for the entire family. Luckily they got his foot right and he was able to walk through the rest of his life. I have had my share of accidents, some because of my mistakes and some because of others mistakes. So please watch out and drive carefully with a smile. .. Soon a day where pedestrians and cyclists will all wear helmets......