ekpolk, you're right. Hybrids could be called a buffer against poor driving habits, too. Today a Prius driver beat me to every stop light on my trip to Home Depot. My driving was so bad that every time I got to the next light it had just turned green. I could not even hit the brakes. I just had to keep pushing on. The Prius driver was so good that he would pass me up again, and agin, every time from a dead stop. It happened five time. Those Prius cars are tough to beat when you're driving a 22 year old Civic. He was cheating, though. He had two motors and I have only one. I rolled down my window, and sure enough when we pulled into Home Depot, I could not hear the engine running. The reason I could hear so well? I turned off my engine, too, and coasted into the parking lot, just like he did. I coasted all the way to a stop without using my brakes. I wanted all my energy back, sort of like a Prius. I've decided to have a contest with myself. I'm going to try coasting with the engine off, when I can, and see if I get better mileage.