Simple Energy Plan: Keep Your Tires Filled, Drive Slower And Lose A Little Weight

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By Rocky Boschert

A few weeks ago, Presidential candidate John McCain of the Oil & War Party ridiculed Barack Obama for suggesting that if automobile drivers across the land were to keep their tires inflated to the levels recommended by the tire manufacturers, Americans would consume less gasoline. As it turns out, McCain was wrong and Obama was right. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, keeping our car tires inflated to the correct levels would decrease our gasoline consumption by 3%, which would nationally save about 1.2 billion gallons of gasoline per year. McCain later corrected his attempt at Obama criticism.

As the Presidential competency debate moves forward, both candidates are grappling with the issue of the need for offshore drilling. John McCain, being advised by his oil company lobbyist staff, for some reason is all for it. Obama, who would rather lower oil consumption in general, is lukewarm to the idea. So, do we really need to drill offshore and risk degrading our water, seashores and aquatic wildlife to continue feeding America’s oil addiction? The answer is a resounding NO! And here’s why.

Energy experts say that after the initial five year exploration, drilling, and refining period, opening up drilling offshore would generate about 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline a year. Well, we can see with the tire pressure solution that 1.2 billion gallons of gasoline savings alone would almost match the offshore drilling oil to gasoline yield.

But what about driving slower? Well, two-thirds of all drivers say they speed sometimes. What would happen if just those speeding US drivers drove 5 miles an hour slower? Again, according to the US Department of Energy, we would see a consumption drop of 4.8 billion gallons of gasoline every year.

And what about the added body weight that the American obesity epidemic adds to our gasoline consumption? Well, if every obese American would eat a few less Big Macs with super fries each week and lose 10 pounds, estimates contend we would see an additional 1 billion gallons of gasoline consumption savings per year with Americans weighing less, eating healthier and exercising.

So, for all you oil addicted, obese speeders out there, 1) having your tires inflated, 2) driving slower, and 3) losing weight would decrease our US gasoline consumption by 7.2 billion gallons of gasoline per year, nearly four times the gasoline that would ultimately be produced by offshore drilling. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

But wait; it doesn’t end there. High gasoline prices also save lives. You see, expensive gasoline makes people drive less, thereby reducing the number of annual automobile accidents, which means fewer annual driving fatalities. And if obese individuals lost weight in order to make driving less expensive for themselves, they would be healthier and we would all save money through lower health insurance premiums. In case you don’t know, insurance premiums are actuarially adjusted up for all of us who are healthy because of the unhealthy insured. Someone needs to tell John McCain to read this article.

Finally, what can we do locally to lower energy consumption and live healthier? Well, for starters, if during the Christmas holidays local Wimberley businesses would use timers on their Christmas lights so they turn off between 1 AM and 6 AM, business owners would lower their utility bills and we would use less coal generated electricity and disperse less poisonous dioxins in the air. And because the local businesses would pay the newly un-corrupt PEC reduced energy bills, they wouldn’t have to raise prices as much for their goods and services and increase inflation in the process. Everybody wins!

Hey Barack! Your ratings are sliding. We need to have lunch and talk about your energy-related economic policy.

Rocky Boschert has resided in Wimberley since 1993. He currently serves as board president of the Katherine Anne Porter School (KAPS) in Wimberley. Mr. Boschert owns and manages Arrowhead Asset Management.