WASHINGTON -- There is a way to save both time and gas when behind the wheel.

UPS drivers steer with a strategy: right turns are the way to go.

UPS dispatchers map out directions on tablets known as DIAD boards.

Every route is designed to take right turns whenever possible.

UPS says left turns are less efficient because there is more idle time involved while you're waiting for oncoming traffic or a traffic signal.

Joe Vitner has been delivering packages around the D.C. area for 20 years. He said left turns make him late.

"That's when you're wasting your time," he said. "You got to wait, especially at big intersections. And even without a light you can be at the mercy of other drivers to let you out."

News4 set out to see if right is right for drivers by putting interns behind the wheel.

They set out in two vehicles from the NBC4 studios on Nebraska Avenue NW to the National Cathedral.

One vehicle made only left turns, the other only right turns.

It was midmorning on both trips and the vehicles traveled roughly the same distance.

There were two separate runs.

In both runs, the car making right turns came in first; the first time by a minute and 22 seconds, the second time by a minute and 44 seconds.

However, deliverymen said the system works better in some areas than in others.

In addition to saving time, making right turns also saves gas. Idling in a left hand turn lane can burn a lot of fuel.

By going right, UPS has already saved 31,000 metric tons of C02.