Oregon to test on driving ‘green’
PORTLAND – The Oregon driver’s manual may be going a bit beyond the basics of signaling and parallel parking soon.
The 113-page manual is filled with tips for driving safely and now has tips for going “green.” A bill to make fuel-efficient driving techniques part of the Oregon driver’s test cleared the Legislature on Friday, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski said through a spokesman that he will sign it into law.
House Bill 2704 adds 11 words to the Oregon driver’s license law: “The test may include a question regarding fuel efficient driving techniques.”
The tips include: not exceeding the speed limit, not accelerating too rapidly, not idling for more than a minute, using cruise control if you have it and keeping the vehicle well-maintained.
Following all five of these guidelines to the letter could cut gasoline consumption by as much as 30 percent, proponents say, saving motorists money and reducing pollution from tailpipe exhaust.
The wording of the new fuel-efficiency question is up to Driver and Motor Vehicle Services. Though it’s not mandatory, DMV officials testified that they will add such a question to the driver’s test and make the pitch for frugal driving in the manual. Questions on the computerized exam rotate from applicant to applicant, so the fuel-efficiency question would show up about half the time.
The legislation’s chief sponsor is Rep. Ben Cannon, D-Portland, the youngest member of the Legislature and owner of two Saturns. Cannon says he got the idea while brainstorming with longtime Democratic activist and former legislator R.P. “Joe” Smith.
The House approved the fuel-efficiency bill last month, 39-10. All the “nay” votes came from Republicans. The Senate passed it Friday, 18-10.
During the House debate, Rep. Susan Morgan, R-Myrtle Creek, scoffed at the idea of pushing the driver’s exam beyond its traditional role of testing knowledge of safety and road rules.
“Depending on your viewpoint, it’s either brilliant or ridiculously dumb,” said co-sponsor Rep. Scott Bruun, R-West Linn. “Since my name is on it, I’ll go with brilliant.”