Consumer Resources News

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BOSTON—As drivers are ready to hit the road for vacation destinations across Massachusetts this Memorial Day weekend, the consumer advocacy group MASSPIRG (Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group) announced tips for consumers on how they could best minimize the impact of gas prices at the pump.

“We may be facing the highest gas prices in history, but that doesn’t mean consumers are helpless,” said Janet Domenitz, MASSPIRG Executive Director. “There are simple steps consumers can take now to lessen the pain high gas prices are having on their pocketbooks.”

A few of the 12 consumer tips highlighted in MASSPIRG’s “Save at the Pump Consumer Tips” include:

• Don’t purchase high octane gas – using 87-octane gas will save you an average of 10 cents per gallon over mid-grade;
• Check your air filter – If consumers who needed new air filters replaced theirs, Americans would save 2.8 billion gallons of gas per year;
• Combine trips – two short trips, due to a cold motor, can cost more than twice as much as a single long trip of equal distance.

It is estimated that the tips highlighted today by MASSPIRG will improve gas mileage by over 15 percent. At more than $3 a gallon, consumers could see savings as much as .40 cents on a gallon of gas.

MASSPIRG is also calling for action by state lawmakers to implement policies that will curb the impact of high gas prices on consumers.

“High gas prices will continue to hold consumers hostage until state and federal lawmakers implement solutions that reduce our reliance on oil,” Domenitz said. “We need policies that curb our dependence on oil and save consumers money at the pump.”

Recommended policy solutions include:

• Increasing support for expanded public transit.
• Providing incentives for the purchase of more fuel-efficient vehicles;
• Devoting additional resources to rideshare matching programs;
• Encouraging the spread of advanced-technology vehicles (such as hybrid-electric cars);
• Promoting the use of non-petroleum biofuels

For more information about MASSPIRG’s Save at the Pump Consumer Tips, go to www.masspirg.org. Analysis of savings provided by the Consumer Federation of America.