According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Americans are driving less than they did a year ago. In March 2008 Americans drove 11 billion miles less than they did in March 2007. This drop marks the sharpest drop in FHWA history.
Apparently the downward trend started in November of 2007 and has continued since. Click on the graph to the the right to see more detail.
Gas prices and driving habits
A survey was done by Ipsos Center which shows how much the price of gas needs to rise to get people to change their driving habits.
- 67% of respondents said they have already changed their driving habits as a result of the rising gas prices.
- Of those who have already made changes to their driving habits, the point of change was at about $3.20 per gallon.
- At $3.00 per gallon, 35% of Americans had changed their driving habits.
- By $4.00 per gallon — a reality in many parts of the U.S. already — it will be up to 74%.
- By $5.00 per gallon, 85% of all Americans will have changed their driving habits.
What driving habits have changed?
I think this survey begs the question – what habits have changed? Personally, I can’t say that I haven’t driven somewhere yet to save fuel, but I am definitely thinking about my trips a lot more.
I would love to hear what habits you have changed. Are you riding the bus to work or carpooling? Are you still visiting friends just as much? Still going to church?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I bought a motorcycle to save fuel. It gets 50 MPG. The payment vs. fuel savings are a wash, but when it is paid for, It will be worth while & fun
We’ve been “hyper-miling” it, although in a sane sort of way. My husband has increased our gas mileage from 29 mpg to 34 mpg on average per tank. He coasts down hills with the clutch in and tries to go uphill without touching the gas.
We haven’t stopped vising friends or going to church, but we combine trips for everything. We try to make as many stops as we can when we get somewhere. (we live in the country and everything is about 15-20 miles from us, so combining trips is very important)
As an aside, you might be interested in this article, The Truth About Oil
Mostly, though, we just try not to be wasteful. We don’t let the car idle, we don’t go out just for the heck of it (although we might take a slightly longer scenic route once in a while), and we don’t go to just one place when we go out.
@Tippy
Way to go!! I have been thinking about getting one for a while myself…
@Gwen
I will check out the article – thanks for sharing… and I think I am where you are with fuel saving, we focus mostly on just trying not to waste fuel.
Fuel prices in Australia have also been increasing, and are now nudging AUD$1.60 per litre.
. I also think that fuel efficiency would only play a very small part in my decision making process if/when purchasing another car.
However, it hasn’t affected my wife’s or my driving style or our decisions to drive anywhere.
In reality, even with two cars (one 4 cylinder, one V6), fuel is no-where near the biggest expense in our household – with the grocery bill being the largest expense every week, and mortgage payments.
I enjoy driving my car, and won’t allow the higher cost of fuel to take away that enjoyment by affecting my driving style
Gas prices have risen drammatically! Life becomes too expensive to live. Our government should do something about it!