As the price of fuel rises New York drivers are paying some of the highest prices in the nation per gallon of gasoline. Besides the high price at the pump New York state has the eighth highest state fuel tax, meaning New Yorkers have to dig deep to fill up the tank.

Every driver across the nation is struggling to find the extra cash they need to fill up at the pump, but among them, defensive drivers are doing it much less often. New York defensive drivers have long since figured out that by driving safer they are also saving money on fuel.

Why? By aggressive driving increases your fuel consumption significantly. Repeated studies have shown that the most likely contributing factor to low gas mileage is aggressive driving. You accelerate more often and stop more suddenly, increasing the amount of fuel your vehicle consumes and adding to the wear and tear on your braking system. Gradually acceleration and maintaining a safe driving speed are ways of limiting the amount of fuel your vehicle consumes. They will also save you some money on new brakes.

Aggressive driving is also costly when it comes to the money you will spend on traffic citations. Police in New York are watching for aggressive drivers and regularly stopping drivers who are weaving in and out of traffic, speeding, following to closely, passing on the right or running through amber lights. Traffic congestion is common in New York increasing the danger of aggressive driving. Police are aware of this and using existing state laws meant to combat aggressive driving to thwart those drivers who believe they have more rights on the road than anyone else.

In New York the price of gasoline is sitting steady at $4 but estimates are that price will rise as summer rolls in. By driving defensively New Yorkers can save themselves some money at the pump.