If your off-the-lot Honda Accord could use just one gallon of gas to go 145 miles, shouldn't you drive that way? Probably not.

Hyper miling is driving a car in manner which provides the greatest possible gas mileage, with little regard for safety, traffic laws or comfort.

Anyone who improves their gas mileage should be applauded; as long as they do it safely and in compliance with traffic laws while being courteous to other drivers. Hyper Milers often employ unusual driving techniques and sometimes they break the law to achieve their high mileage.

Unsafe Techniques

When going downhill, hyper milers turn off the engine, which disables the power brakes and power steering. Without power steering or power brakes, the driver must exert much more force in order to turn or stop the car. This is dangerous in emergency situations as the driver may not be able to stop or steer the car and keep it under control.

Hyper milers accelerate so slowly that it can take several miles to reach 50 mph. On interstate and state highways, the minimum speed limit is 45 MPH. Driving slower than 45 MPH is dangerous, as other drivers catch up quickly, swerve around the slower car and sometimes leave a following car to hit the brakes hard.

Once the highest speed they will drive has been reached, hyper milers are loathe to slow down. They attempt to time lights and sometimes fail to do so correctly, entering the intersection just as the lights change to green. Other drivers may be unprepared or still in the intersection.

To cut rolling resistance, these drivers over-inflate their tires. In wet or slippery conditions, this reduces traction and makes stopping more difficult. In dry conditions, it will take longer to come to an emergency stop.

Illegal Driving Techniques

Hyper Milers take far too long to reach highway speeds in an effort to reduce the amount of gas needed to reach those speeds. It may take several miles to reach just 50 MPH on a freeway, causing a hazard to other drivers traveling at the speed limit. Traveling below the minimum speed limit is not only against the law, but it is unsafe.

STOP doesn't mean stop to a hyper miler. It means time your arrival at the intersection so it's your turn and then roll right through without using the brakes.

Anything that uses electricity in a car uses gas to create that electricity. Therefore, some hyper milers won't use headlights until well past the required time. The same goes for turn signals, window defoggers, windshield

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