Apparently we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed:
U.S. drivers are doing something they haven’t done for nearly two decades—consume less gasoline….
There are indications that a fundamental shift in consumer driving habits may have started in December, when total miles traveled in the U.S. dropped 3.9 percent compared with the same month a year earlier. Miles traveled in the Midwest were down 5.8 percent.
The Kansas City Star made an interesting map of the regional driving trends. Federal figures showed a 3.5 percent decline in driving in the US west, comparing December 2007 with December of 2006. I’m not sure I buy it, but it’s it’s worth a quick click-through at least to look at it. But at a minimum, it confirms the trend that we’ve been seeing—higher gas prices are starting to change our outlook on transportation.
