I’m not against teaching people to drive so that they use less gas. In fact, I thikn it’s a good idea to at least encourage them. But I think the problem of stupid city drivers is worse, becuase not only does it increase fuel, it increases traffic, and tempers.

Full throttle acceleration is the most efficient way of accelerating provided that you are in as high of a gear as possible for your car/engine. Maximum acceleration is not fuel efficient, as it involves high revs/low gears.

I remember a story about a celebrity who had a hybrid along with his wife. He complained of poor fuel economy compared to his wife’s vehicle. He took the vehicle to his service department and they could find nothing wrong. While his car was in for service he drove his wife’s car and had the same mileage.

There are several factors that contribute to mileage but many people forget to consider their driving technique.

they need to come to America and teach plain old regular “not driving like a moron” driving.

I might be in the left lane but it’s not to clog it up.

It would probably reduce repair and maintenance costs. Reduce but not elimibnate because, parked in the garage all day, those spontaneous combustion Fords would probably burn even more houses down. Whoa… doesn’t a burning house emit a lot of CO2? Okay… maybe this won’t be the big win I had imagined…

More seriously… does Ford think they can retrain everybody to drive in such a way that everybody reduces CO2 emissions by 25%? A national fleet CO2 emissions reduction of 25%? That seems improbable, to say the least.

On the other hand, there’s probably SOME advantage to rethinking one’s style. When I see red ahead, I IMMEDIATELY lift my foot off the gas (traffic permitting); there’s no point rushing to a red light. Sometimes, the light turns green before I arrive and I sail right through with no braking at all.

Saves fuel and brake components and doesn’t cost me any time. What’s not to love?

But many people don’t do this; people will tailgate me (that’s traffic NOT permitting) or, on a multi-lane road, they’ll rocket by me, only to hit the brakes pretty hard 100 yards up the road. Why not let up?

Net, I think the headline of this editorial is a little mis-leading….last I checked blaming people for buying a Ford is not the party line in Dearborn (nor should it be given their troubles)

It is obviously the driver that is ultimately responsible for amount of CO2 emissions created, depending on how far he/she drives, how he/she drives and what he/she drives.

As “mikalac” pointed out the NRA always claims that “it’s people, not guns, that kill people” (although I do not personally agree with them for guns!).

As Maximum Bob liked to say “you cannot convince people to slim by only selling small size pants”! They have to be convinced that they want to slim themselves!

The only solution is higher gas prices!!!!

So Ford can now churn out more SUV’s/ muscle cars/CUV’s and blame us for buying them!

Maybe Shell and BP will take us to court for using too much of their products….?