2009 is the perfect time to break old habits and start new ones.

After having a few days to settle into the new year and get back into the groove of work and home life, now is a good time to look around at the things you may want to change.

Everyone has a habit they would like to get rid of, and AAA has set some guidelines for people who want to change bad driving habits.

“There are lots of people who have bad driving habits and don’t even know they have them,” said Clay Ingram, Public Relations and Marketing Manager of AAA Alabama. “2009 will be a good time for people to change their driving habits to make sure they are driving safely and economically.”

Ingram said one thing people really had trouble with in 2008 was aggressive driving. Aggressive driving is a mixture of many things including jackrabbit takeoffs, speeding and weaving in and out of traffic without signaling. Jackrabbit takeoffs and speeding can cause wrecks as well as waste gas. Keeping gas at an affordable rate is something everyone should work toward. By wasting gas through aggressive driving, we are only making things worse when it comes to the price of gas.

Other things drivers can do to help save gas are correctly maintain your vehicle by having the oil changed regularly, keeping a check on tire pressure and by watching your speed.

“People would be surprised at the amount of fuel they save when they slow down their speeds and keep their vehicles in a good working condition. Maintaining your vehicle on a regular basis and keeping a check on your speed, can save as much as 30 cents a gallon on gas,” Ingram said.

– Ashley McCartney can be reached at ashley.mccartney@clantonadvertiser.com