Gas prices are causing people to try and get as many miles as they can out of a tank of gas, but some local drivers are taking it to the extreme.

"Right now I am doing 60.6 miles per gallon," hyper-miler Kent Johnson said. At 60 miles per gallon, one would think that Johnson is driving a hybrid--but he's not.

Johnson is actually driving a small, conventional, gas powered Chevrolet. But Johnson isn't a typical driver--he's a hypermiler.

Johnson says drivers should "take a look at what your car is EPA rated for as a combined gas mileage, and then exceed that."

His methods of doing this, though, may seem a bit odd. For example, Johnson drives with his shoes off. But this and other methods seem to work. Over the last six months, Johnson averaged just over 40 MPG in a car the EPA said should get about 30 mile to the gallon. In addition, Johnson said he's, "going to be driving a little bit slower."

Find your vehicle's EPA mileage here

Johnson obtains his higher-than-normal miles per gallon by doing the following:

-Driving at 55 miles per hour or less
-Wearing socks instead of shoes, which he says allows him to gently accelerate and know when to ease off the gas
-Coasting his car down hills and when approaching stop signs
-Turning off the ignition when stuck at a long red light 

"[If] I know its going to be on for longer than a minute, I would be wasting gas to sit their idling at the traffic light," Johnson said.

Tips to Get More Miles Per Gallon:

Know your gas mileage Accelerate SLOWLY after stopping SLOW DOWN! Dump any access baggage Properly inflate your tires Minimize the time you spend stopped  Turn off engines, instead of idling Turn off air conditioners

For hypermilers, it's often the little things that make a big difference. For example, Johnson often parks downhill instead of uphill so he can coast down the hill and into the parking space, saving fuel.

"If you know you can get 80 miles per gallon, why wouldn't you do it," Johnson asked.

But the methods of some extreme hypermilers, including 'drafting' (tailgating semi trucks), coasting through stop signs and either putting the car into neutral or even turning the car off entirely on a downward incline, has raised concern from AAA and police agencies across the country. While it remains unclear how common these tactics are, the Maryland State Police say they are all illegal.

"Do it within reason," said Maryland State Police Sgt Arthur Betts. "[It is] much better to operate your vehicle safely than possibly be involved in a crash or something, solely for the purpose of trying to save a few miles per gallon."

In fact, getting those hypermiles nearly got Columbia resident Glenn Conrad in trouble with the law. Heading to Baltimore Washington International Airport on I-95 to pick up his wife, Conrad was pulled over for going too slow.

Related Sites:

cleanmpg.com hypermiling.com ecomodder.com

"I was sort of flabbergasted," Conrad said. Still, he got 70 miles per gallon that trip.

Post your comments below