When you see gas prices go down do you stop to fill up? Are you combining errands and car-pooling to save on gas? Then these driving tips from Jody Victor are deffinitely for you.

Jody Victor: Even though the biggest factor in fuel economy is actually the vehicle itself, there are still things you can do that will have a big impact on the fuel economy of your car.

Minimize driving with a cold engine. Engines run most efficiently when they're warm. In city-driving tests, making multiple short trips and starting the engine from cold reduced fuel economy. Engines also produce more pollution and wear faster when they're cold. To minimize cold-engine driving, avoid making a lot of separate short trips with a cold engine. Instead, combine short trips into one so that the engine stays warm.

Drive smoothly. Avoid hard acceleration and braking whenever possible. The harder you accelerate, the more fuel you use. Unnecessarily hard braking wastes the fuel you use to get up to speed. Drive smoothly and anticipate the movement of traffic. Use your brakes as little as possible, since every time you hit the brakes you are wasting fuel. Once up to speed on the highway, maintain a steady pace in top gear. Smooth acceleration, cornering, and braking not only save fuel but also extend the life of the engine, transmission, brakes, and tires.

Reduce unnecessary drag. At highway speeds, more than 50 percent of engine power goes to overcoming aerodynamic drag. Don't add to that drag by carrying things (such as car-top-carriers) on top of your vehicle when you don't have to. Although this has been tested and depends on the vehicle, they all got reduced gas mileage - anywhere from 1-6 mpg. They say even driving with empty racks on your car reduces its fuel economy.

Slow down. Aerodynamic drag exponentially increases on the highway the faster you drive. In other words, driving at 75 mph vs 55 mph can reduce your vehicles' fuel economy by anywhere from 5 to 10 mpg. While I don't expect to see much change in highway speeds, it's good to be aware.

Thanks, Jody! Great fuel-saving tips!

Joe Victor

Remember the cute little car in recent movies like "The Pink Panther" and "The DaVinci Code"? They call it smart. But is it 'smart'? What is it? I asked Jody Victor to give us the skinny.

Jody Victor: smart (they don't even capitalize the name) is a member of the Mercedes Car Group. smart vehicles are sold in 36 countries throughout the world. Over 750,000 fortwo vehicles have been sold since its introduction. The United States will be the 37th country when the smart fortwo becomes available in the first quarter of 2008.

The models that will be coming our way are the smart fortwo pure (entry-level) starting under $12,000,  the smart fortwo passion coupe (well-equipped) starting under $14,000, and the smart fortwo passion cabrio (convertible) starting under $17,000.

The smart fortwo is 8.8 feet long (you can usually fit two in an average parking space!), 5.1 feet tall (as much headroom as most luxury vehicles!), and 5.1 feet wide (two six foot, five inch plus people can sit side by side with plenty of shoulder room to spare!).

Top speed is approximately 90 mph, and they are designed to achieve 40 plus mpg under normal driving. The trunk will accommodate numerous bags of groceries, gym bags or travel luggage, and even a golf bag with clubs. The passenger seat will fold down to accomodate things like skiis.

But are they safe? According to the manufacturer they have a comprehensive safety management system which includes a tridion safety cell (made from three layers of steel that are reinforced at strategic points), standard four airbags (two front and two side), and features ESP (electronic stability program) and ABS brakes also standard.

Is the smart fortwo a vehicle for you? Only one way to find out - take a test drive next year.

Thanks, Jody! Can't wait to see them on the road!

Joe Victor

I'm sure you've seen the Lexus commercials  - the car parallel parks itself - cool! But there are some other really cool high-tech gadgets on the road today or coming soon. I asked Jody Victor  to give us a run-down.

Jody Victor: I love gadgets - especially in cars! There is just something about driving a car surrounded by buttons, switches and guages that you know how to use. And what's even better, they keep coming out with new and improved technologies. Here are some of my favorites.

Watching out for blind spots. Many accidents occur when a driver tries to change lanes on a highway without being aware that a vehicle is in his "blind spot." For 2007, Audi and Volvo have addressed this dilema with two systems that can detect vehicles that a driver might not see on either side of his car. Both systems use LED displays near each outside rearview mirror to warn a driver that he shouldn't attempt a lane change because a vehicle is in or is rapidly approaching a car's blind spot.

Precollision systems. A precollision system is one that can sense a collision before it happens and automatically take actions to maximize the safety of a car's occupants. These systems work in different ways, depending on the automaker.Several manufacturers, for example, offer systems that use radar to detect vehicles in front and an alarm and warning lights activate to alert drivers of a potential crash. If the driver does not respond quickly enough, the system can take preventive steps such as applying brakes, closing windows, adjusting seat positions for optimal air-bag effectiveness, and activating safety-belt pretensioners.

Advanced pre-collision systems will include tiny cameras mounted to the front of a vehicle to detect pedestrians and animals as well as vehicles, potentially helping a driver avoid hitting anything in the road.

Cruise control upgarde. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which is offered by several automakers, takes conventional cruise control an extra step. In addition to maintaining a set speed on the highway, it can also automatically maintain a safe distance between the vehicle it's in and one in front. It does this by using radar to monitor the presence of vehicles in front and automatically operate the brakes or throttle to slow or accelerate the car as needed.

Variable-tint glass. Electronic rear-view mirrors, which automatically darken in response to light, have been around for years. Now, the concept is being applied to a vehicle's window glass. Ferrari introduced an electrochromatic roof panel on its limited-production $287,000 575 Superamerica in 2005. The panel can be adjusted to any of five levels of tint by turning a knob in the car's interior. While the Superamerica is no longer in production, a domestic auto-glass supplier plans to bring the technology to mainstream vehicles within the next few years.

Photo-realistic navigation systems. The next wave of nav-system mapping will use actual images of roads and terrain to provide a dramatically realistic perspective. First up will be nav displays that show roads and the surrounding area as they look in satellite photography, complete with a bird's-eye-perspective capability. A company called 3DVU, for example, has developed such a system that is now in use on some portable nav systems in Japan and will be available in the built-in nav systems of some new South Korean cars by the end of the year.

Thanks, Jody! We'll be looking for all the new stuff!

Joe Victor

In a world where everyone likes to give advice, you're never sure whether or not to use what you hear. I asked Jody Victor to let us in on the facts vs. the fiction.

Jody Victor: I'm sure you have heard many legendary tips for getting better gas mileage in your car. While some tips are actually a safety concern more than a gas saver, others are just not so.

Keeping your tires inflated. According to recent tests moderately underinflated tires could slightly reduce highway fuel economy in some vehicles. But more importantly, underinflated tires provide much less grip for turning and stopping and run much hotter. Overheated tires wear faster and can lead to a blowout. Check your tires about once a month and before and after long road trips.

Keeping your air filter clean. Apparently, driving with a dirty air filter in modern engines doesn't have much of an impact on fuel economy. That's because modern engines use computers to precisely control the air/fuel ratio. With reduced airflow the modern engines automatically reduce the amount of fuel being used.

Air conditioning vs. open windows. This has been an ongoing dilema for the fuel-conscious driver for decades. While air conditioning deffinitely does place more load on the engine, it is not enough to really affect fuel economy. Many would say open windows disrupt a vehicle's aerodynamics. But recent tests have shown open windows did not affect fuel economy enough to worry about it.

Using premium fuel. If your car specifies regular fuel, don't buy premium under the mistaken belief that your engine will run better. Check your owner's manual to find out what grade of fuel to use for your engine.

Driving with your pick-up bed door open. I was surprised myself to learn that it is actually better to leave the bed door closed. In a recent test it was found that the aerodynamics built in to most trucks works better with the bed door up. Another urban legend gone.

Thanks, Jody!

Joe Victor