Driving on the Mainland a few weeks ago, I was struck by how fast everyone was moving. The speed limit on New Jersey's Garden State Parkway was 65 mph. I was trying to keep it to 70 mph. And everyone else was zipping past me at 75 mph or more.

Maybe it was my years of doing the O'ahu crawl or maybe it was the thought of all that $3.30-per-gallon gas I was burning, but I just kept having one thought over and over again: "Whatever happened to the nation's campaign to save gasoline by driving at 55 mph?" Gone with tailwind in the fast lane, apparently.

Despite the economic and environmental implications of using too much gasoline, there would be a national revolt of drivers if somebody tried to bring back the "Drive at 55" campaign. To my knowledge, no politician has even suggested such a thing.

Still, in Hawai'i at least, it doesn't hurt to be reminded that driving a little bit slower can be one way of cutting down your gas consumption. There are plenty of other ones, too. You've probably heard them all a dozen times before. But maybe now that gas costs almost as much as a gallon of milk, it can't hurt to consider a few changes in your driving behavior.

Here are a few tips culled from professional driving groups and a number of Web sites devoted to the topic:

1. Slow down. Driving the speed limit, rather than 5 to 10 miles over it, can have a significant impact on gas mileage, especially at highway speeds. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional 21 cents per gallon for gas.

2. Slow down, but don't stop. Coming to a stop at a traffic light and then accelerating again uses extra fuel. It's better to try to slow down as you approach a red light and cruise through it as it turns green.

3. Start slowly. Stomping on the pedal is a big fuel waster. It's better to accelerate smoothly.

4. Get a better fuel gauge. Those new hybrid vehicles come with instruments that provide detailed readouts on fuel consumption. Several companies now offer similar products for regular vehicles, giving drivers immediate feedback on, say, the amount of gas saved by driving 45 mph, instead of 55 mph.

5. Plan ahead. Putting several short trips together is better than making several trips from home. But then the average Hawai'i commuter already knows how to package trips to work, school, Ala Moana and the soccer field.

6. Lighten the load. Avoid keeping unnecessary heavy items in your vehicle. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your miles per gallon by up to 2 percent.

7. Get a tune-up. Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve mileage by as much as 10 percent.

8. Follow directions. Keep tires properly inflated and use the recommended grade of motor oil. Together the gas savings can add up to about 5 percent.

9. Don't be idle. An idling car results in zero miles per gallon.

10. Play it cool. Most air conditioners run off of pulleys attached to the motor, which make the engine work harder. At lower speeds roll down your windows and enjoy some fresh air. When you reach highway speeds though, keep the windows up and the air conditioning on. At highway speeds the open windows create a larger amount of wind resistance and use more gasoline than running the air conditioning does.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.