The U.S. depends primarily on oil for the mobilzation of goods and servcies. Transportation alone accounts for 95% of the nation's energy use from oil. In a mere 200 years we have consumed half of the oil that took over 200 millions years to form beneath the earth's surface. This poses serious economic and environmental consequences for the future if appropiate measures are not taken to reduce our dependence on oil.

The fuel economy refers to the number of miles driven divided by the gallons of fuel consumed. For every vehicle there are two fuel economy estimates; one for city based on urban driving and highway based on a mix of rural and interstate driving.

Each vehicle's fuel economy varies depending on the make and model and may also vary over time as the vehicle becomes older. A vehicle's fuel economy may be affected by various factors including how the vehicle is driven and routine maintenance. Aggressive driving, hard breaking and acceleration along with frequent stop-and-go traffic will also reduce a vehicle's fuel economy.

Improving our nation's fuel economy will reduce our dependence on oil while providing better incentives for car manufacturerers to make more fuel efficient vehicles. According to NRDC, "raising fuel economy standards -- would save nearly 4 billion barrels of oil over the next dozen years. By 2012, we could save nearly 2 million barrels every day."

Fuel Economy Tips

• avoid driving aggressively, hard breaking and quick acceleration
• keep the vehicle's engine well tuned
• keep tires at the recommended pressure
• routinely replace vehicle's air filter
• use recommended grade of oil (can save as much as 5 cents a gallon)
• combine trips
• avoid idling