August 05, 2008 06:44 AM UTC

Buy Me A Barack Tire Gauge

• 2 Comments
• by: Go Blue

Seriously, as Time Magazine points out it’s not only safe to check your vehicle’s tire pressure but it also improves gas mileage and can reduce oil demand.

The Bush administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 barrels per day by 2030. We use about 20 million barrels per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage by 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone else did, we could reduce demand several percentage points immediately. In other words: Obama is right.

Buying a cheap tire gauge will do more good for my checkbook than McCain’s gas tax scheme.