Theres a Thin Line Between Hypermiling and Road Rage

According to a study by Environmental Defense, U.S automobiles and trucks are responsible for emitting nearly half of all greenhouse gases emitted by automobiles globally. In 2004, carbon dioxide from personal vehicles in the U.S equaled 314 million metric tons, enough to fill a coal train 55,000 miles long( enough to circle the earth twice). Americans have been struggling with our cultural need to drive and our responsibilities as stewards of the planet, with our culture for cars winning by a mile. For better and worse, driving has become a form of expression to Americans that has helped define our way of life. The latest news from the driving world is a phenomena called Hypermiling. It's premise is to help you attain a higher MPG which in turn helps the environment. However, the techniques are sometimes dangerous, and could solicit anger and rage from other drivers on the road.

Road rage is a modern title given to a condition that has afflicted drivers for decades. According to the U.S Dept of Energy " Aggressive driving(Speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33% on the highway and 5% around town". Riding someones tail to make them speed up, or rolling through a stop sign is dangerous, but to some Hypermilers, they are just some of the techniques that could raise their MPG and in affect help lower CO2 emissions. Government MPG ratings can be confusing because the highway rating is usually higher than the city rating, and people equate driving faster to "better" MPG from their vehicle.

The real reason a car gets better MPG on the highway is the constant speed, not the higher speed. Once a vehicle hits 60mph, it automatically starts loosing gas mileage. Aerodynamics also play a big part in a cars MPG ability. Air pressure is literally a drag on cars and makes them heavier, which raises the MPG of the vehicle. Riding someones tail, preferably a vehicle bigger than yours, can greatly improve your vehicles aerodynamics, but breaks all of the rules of the road and common sense.
Hypermiling is the latest buzzword put in the mix to help us navigate through global warming. The machines we drive and how we drive them make a significant impact to our current atmospheric crisis. Hypermiling and Road Rage are opposites on the same scale, they both represent the way modern drivers feel. The complicated world we live in leaves us isolated and frustrated, yet we have an urgent need to do our part to save the earth. The future of automobile design is being determined by our current social and economic needs, and our cultural actions.