Westworld Saskatchewan

s p r i n g 2 0 1 5 | w e s t w o r l d 37 CAA has also integrated gas prices into its clear and easy-to-navigate TripTik Travel Plan- ner, an app available for tablets. "That gives drivers the ability to plan their trips with gas prices in mind along with places to stay and eat," D'Arbelles says. e website getgasprices.ca offers great tools and resources to help drivers become more gas savvy, with information on everything from how the price of gas is determined, how gas is made and how we can become eco drivers. "e retail price of gas is influenced by a number of factors," D'Arbelles explains. "ey include sup- ply and demand, crude oil prices, the cost of refining, taxes and the local market." Of the total average national retail price of gasoline, crude oil is responsible for about 50 per cent, refining and marketing typically account for 17 to 24 per cent, provincial taxes are 17 to 18 per cent and federal taxes are 12 per cent, according to Natural Resources Canada. When the price of crude oil goes up, so do prices at the pump. But when crude oil prices drop, like they did this past winter, prices at the pump are slower to fall. "We have a gas analyst who calls it the rocket and feather effect," D'Arbelles says. "at's how oil companies make a lot of their profits." CAA asked 1,252 Canadians at what price point would rising gas prices influence their driving patterns. On average, they said they would change the frequency of driving their car if gas prices hit $1.89 a litre. About 30 per cent said they had already made this choice. If gas prices reached $2.04, a majority of respondents said they would change their main mode of transpor tation to c ycling or transit. Less than 15 per cent have already done so. "As consumers, we cannot control the prices, but we can control how much we spend by reducing consumption, improving our driving habits and choosing more fuel-efficient vehi- cles," says Christine Niemczyk, director of communications at CAA Saskatchewan. "e website outlines some of the steps we can take to become eco drivers and save money and provides us with the tools to locate the best retail prices." W CAA's Gas Price Monitor app and website can be accessed from each other. For more information or to download any of the apps, visit getgas prices.ca. On Twitter, follow #GetGas Prices. Be an eco Driver • AccelerAte Gently The harder you accelerate, the more fuel you consume. In the city you can conserve fuel by easing onto the accelerator pedal gently and gradually. • coAst to DecelerAte A lot of energy is used trying to get a vehicle up to cruising speed – energy that's lost when the vehicle is forced to slow down unnecessarily. • AnticipAte trAffic Read the road ahead, anticipate road disrup- tions, monitor movements of pedestrians and other vehicles – and keep a comfortable distance between your vehicle and the one in front. • AvoiD HiGH speeDs Most cars use about 20 per cent less fuel when they are driven at 90 kilometres per hour instead of 110 km/h. • MAintAin A steADy speeD Varying your speed up and down between 75 km/h and 85 km/h every 18 seconds can increase your fuel use by 20 per cent. Source: getgasprices.ca

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