Take a Bow Hypermiling

But now good luck escaping the word paparazzi. Hypermiling – the act of maximizing one’s gas mileage, often exceeding EPA ratings for miles per gallon, by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving techniques, has just been named 2008 “Word of the Year (WOTY) by the New Oxford American Dictionary. Joining other conservation and sustainable themed previous winners as, 2006’s “ carbon neutral and 2007’s locavore . Hypermiling techniques range from the obvious - keeping your tires inflated, going the speed limit, using cruise control and unloading excess cargo, to the extreme - driving without shoes to increase the foot’s sensitivity on the pedals, to the dangerous – following close behind other cars to cut wind resistance, rolling through stop signs and cutting the engine on downhills and turns. Have a look for yourself: