How a lead foot costs drivers 20 cents a gallon

Gas prices have fallen for the fifth week in a row, but Americans are still paying more than they need to, according to New York Daily News.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline dropped from a record $3.94 on April 2 to a current price of $3.70 a gallon according to the US Energy Information Administration. But people are still paying 20 cents more per gallon because they speed, according to the article.

Each five mph a person drives above 60 MPH adds about 20 cents per gallon, according to the Governor's Highway Safety Association. Also, aggressive highway driving including speeding, rapid acceleration and braking can decrease gas mileage by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town.

"I try to remember to slow down," Eduardo Rodriguez of Upper Manhattan told the New York Daily News. "But today, it's always hurry, hurry, hurry everywhere you go. Everybody's gotta be there yesterday, and if you do the legal speed limit of 55 or 60 mph people tailgate you or beep their horn. You can't obey the law even if you want to without getting grief on the highway."

EMAIL: bbullock@desnews.com