There we were, back in the good old days, forking over 86.9 cents a gallon for gasoline and mumbling something about highway robbery. The year was It was January 1999. Things, of course, would get worse. Then better. Then worse again.

        The most recent average per-gallon price from the National Energy Information Administration was $1.49 gallon — for regular fuel earlier this week.

        Prices zoomed just in time for Thanksgiving road trips; and there are predictions for still higher prices again.

(Randy Mazzola illustration) | ZOOM |

        So what do you do about this highway robbery?

Just paying for it

        “There's not much you can do, says Denise Shell of Sharonville. She and her husband, David, have “just cut back on some of the running around here and there,” she said.

        “I'm just paying for it,” said Sharon Gass of Liberty Township, Butler County. “It's sad when you feel like $1.42 is a low price.”

        “I only go up to the gas station when I see it's (price) down,” said retiree Gordon Huber of Pleasant Ridge. “I don't drive much any more.”

        “I don't drive” period, said Charlotte Petro of Hamilton. “I'm 70 years old, and I never did.

        “It's terrible how gas has gone up,” she said. “People need it to get to work.”

        And for other things, too.

        For some, there are those many trips to school — maybe several schools, depending on their family. For just about everybody, there are mandatory grocery outings..

        Winter holidays might mean even more shuffling around . . . and we're not talking just about the trip to Grand Rapids to rip ribbons with the in-laws. Chances are, we'll burn more fuel getting to and from local shopping centers and cruising for parking spots.
       

Reduce fuel use

        Wherever you do most of your driving, and for whatever reasons, there are ways to cut down on the fuel you use. Here are some of them, culled from AAA Cincinnati automobile club; Earth Share, a federation of leading non-profit conservation and environmental charities; the Greater Cincinnati Gasoline Dealers' Association, and other experts.

        • Leave the car in the garage. Since January, when fuel prices began shooting for the stars, thousands of Greater Cincinnatians turned to the Metro Bus System, pumping business up to 80,000 rides per day this summer, the most ever in the 1990s, spokeswoman Sallie Hilvers said. Most of the increases came from outlying areas in Butler, Clermont and Warren counties. Basic rush-hour one-way fare is 80 cents.

        • Carpool. Organize your own, check with your employer's personnel department, or call Ride Share at 241-7433 Hope for somebody with a big, comfortable car that doesn't smell.

        • If you insist on driving yourself, start out right. Don't pump the gas before or while you're turning the ignition. And don't let the engine run for 15 minutes while you're putting on makeup in the bathroom.

        • When you're under way, act like you're not in a hurry. Driving at 70 mph takes as much as 25 percent more fuel than driving at 55. Accelerate gradually. “Flooring it” can take 50 percent more fuel.

        • On the other hand, resist the temptation and try to avoid sitting in rush-hour gridlock. Gasoline consumption doubles when you drop from 30 mph to 10 mph.

        “Accelerate gently, brake gradually and avoid hard stops,” says Ginny Hizer, spokeswoman for the AAA. “Quick acceleration and speeds requiring hard braking waste fuel.”

        And don't forget about maintenance. “Keep the tires properly inflated, moving components properly lubricated and ignition and emission systems operating properly to help achieve maximum fuel economy and to extend useful life,” the AAA recommends.

        “The biggest thing to affect mileage is tire pressure,” says Mike Kunnen, president and executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Gasoline Dealers' Association. His recommendation: Use a good pressure gauge to check each tire at least once a month, more frequently when outside temperatures fluctuate wildly.

        “The correct tire pressure is very important,” he said. “Ninety percent of people neglect their tires.”
       

Little conservation

        While people like to gripe about fuel prices, very few of them have done anything to conserve, Mr. Kunnen said. “Especially the young people.”

        Roger Dreyer, president of the Ohio Petroleum Marketers Association in Columbus, said the industry has seen no indication that consumers are using less fuel.

        “The only thing we have noticed is that there seem to be more drive-offs,” he said, referring to motorists who fill their tanks, then leave without paying.

        Other, less criminally inspired suggestions for slashing the family fuel budget:

        • Combine trips as much as you can. “Sometimes people spend a dollar for gas to go buy a 5-cent item,” Mr. Kunnen says.

        • When traveling, pack lightly to reduce weight, and avoid carrying items on the car roof, which can increase wind resistance and decrease fuel economy.

        • If you have two cars in the garage and you only need one at the moment, take the one that gets better mileage. For long trips, consider renting a fuel-efficient car instead of your guzzling sport-utility vehicle.

        • Shop for the best gasoline prices in your neighborhood or along your regular routes, but don't waste fuel driving to a distant service station to save a few cents.

        • Don't use mid-grade or premium fuel unless it is recommended by your car's manufacturer.

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