Ever-increasing gas prices are a hot topic these days, and the conversations are seldom pleasant.

We can complain all we want, but that’s not going to do much to help. While the politics involved with the price of a barrel of oil are one part of the pain we feel when we fill our fuel tanks, the part that often gets overlooked is what we can do to ease that pain ourselves.

The most obvious answer is to drive slower. Clay Ingram, Alabama’s AAA spokesman, told The Clanton Advertiser earlier in the month that drivers can save a significant amount on fuel simply by slowing down.

“The one thing that helps the most, [but] people don’t like to hear, is to slow down,” Ingram said. “The magic number is 60 – most cars’ maximum fuel economy level.”

For every five miles per hour over 60 that people drive, it can cost an extra 30 cents a gallon. Now that you know, you’re still welcome to keep flying down the interstate at 75, but you won’t be welcome to complain about how much you spend on gas.