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Driving Drops as Gas Prices Hit $4

CNNMoney
Posted: 2008-05-27 20:45:55
Filed Under: Recession Watch
(May 27) - At a time when gas prices are at an all-time high, Americans have curtailed their driving at a historic rate.

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Underscored by a slip in Memorial Day travel, the Department of Transportation says that drivers contending with unprecedented gas prices traveled 11 billion fewer miles in March than they did a year ago, the steepest year-over-year decrease on record, going back to 1942.

The Department of Transportation said figures from March show the steepest decrease in driving ever recorded.

gas prices


As the pain at the pump gets more intense, what lifestyle changes have you been forced to make? Cancel a road trip? Sell your SUV or full-size pickup?

Compared with March a year earlier, Americans drove an estimated 4.3 percent less -- that's 11 billion fewer miles, the DOT's Federal Highway Administration said Monday, calling it "the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history." Records have been kept since 1942.

According to AAA, for the first time since 2002, Americans said they were planning to drive less over the Memorial Day weekend than they did the year before.

Tracy and Adam Crews posted on iReport that their annual Memorial Day weekend has traditionally involved camping and fishing.

"Well, due to the continual rise in gas, we felt our only recourse was to nix the idea this year and stay home" in Jacksonville, Fla., they wrote.


Instead, the couple said they "decided to camp out in the back yard. We set the tent up, just finished installing our above ground pool, and cleaned up the grill. ... We have ourselves a campsite! It's been a blast!"

Nakeisha Easterwood of Smyrna, Ga., said with gas prices on the rise, she sometimes catches rides with friends, and doesn't drive into town more than once a day. "It's crazy," she said.

According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose to a record $3.936. That compares with an average price per gallon of $3.23 last Memorial Day.


"With it being near $4 a gallon, you definitely have to drive slower and pick and choose when you're going to do it," said Steve Kahn of Roswell, Georgia, at a Memorial Day festival in Atlanta.

Some Americans have turned to public transportation. Ridership increased by 2.1 percent in 2007, in part because of rising gas prices, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

cnnmoney
More CNNMoney.com
Americans took 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, the highest level in 50 years, the group said.

The Energy Information Administration says gas consumption for the first three months of 2008 is estimated to be down about 0.6 percent from the same time period in 2007.

For the summer season, gas consumption is expected to be down 0.4 percent from last year.

Copyright 2008 CNNMoney
2008-05-27 12:45:58
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5884 comments

heidihanson 10:33:57 PM Jun 01 2008

Report This!

Deerrunannie59 04:16:29 PM May 30 2008

Report This! why is dieasal fuel so high when it costs less to refine
..................
Diesel is high because it is the fuel of choice in China. They have bought up every last drop of it that they can fit on a ship. There is not much infrastructure in China and so they rely on diesel much more heavily than the west. Actually it cost MORE to refine diesel in the USA now because the refineries have been mandated by the government to produce ULTRA LOW SULFUR Deisel and it takes MORE refining than gasoline.

heidihanson 10:29:56 PM Jun 01 2008

Report This!

Ewel4 06:48:03 AM May 31 2008

Report This! I read that the oil refineries,aghast that some of their profits are taking a dip due to everyone trying to conserve, will be raising the price of gas higher so they will "make up" for thier loss.

BLOOD SUCKING BASTARDS!
.................
Refineries have to BUY the crude they refine. They have been absorbing quite a bit of the costs already. Many are running in the red right now. The last time when the price of Crude tripled in 1979/80 over 350 refineries in the USA Closed because they could no longer afford to operate. Those were mostly independent smaller oil companies. MY Cousin was a plant manager for the small Prot Arthur Refinery which closed then. Two years later the plant was bought by the French OIL co Total and disassembled and moved out of the USA. Be careful what you wish for YOU might get it. Then you will have to buy finished MOGAS from Saudi arabia. Do you think the muslims will give you a price break?

Mozartadel 06:13:30 PM Jun 01 2008

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In Houston, counting all the vehicles the City runs and operates... it is estimated that the cost to the City this year will be more than thirty million dollars.... just for gas.
Boy, we will all end up paying in the end.
On the other hand, the article, which was in the Chronicle yesterday said that the ambulances get seven miles to a gallon... ! !

Wkariip 07:12:54 PM May 31 2008

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Wkariip 07:12:19 PM May 31 2008

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Wkariip 07:11:41 PM May 31 2008

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Ewel4 06:50:13 AM May 31 2008

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BMMcElreath 12:07:25 PM May 30 2008

Report This! To decrease cost of fuel increase supply. Increase domestic oil production and put Americans back to work in the oil field business.

Why did democrat senators vote 50-1 against increasing domestic oil production? Why do they want to keep fuel prices high and hurt the economy?

I also think that the lobbyists have a huge investment in this,and you can not tell me otherwise. All these "lobbyists" are nothing but trouble,and they all spell corruption and greed for us.

Ewel4 06:48:03 AM May 31 2008

Report This!

I read that the oil refineries,aghast that some of their profits are taking a dip due to everyone trying to conserve, will be raising the price of gas higher so they will "make up" for thier loss.

BLOOD SUCKING BASTARDS!

CM95204 09:44:12 PM May 30 2008

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This can't go on forever, but this thought occured to me. How about just having every single American who drives to work not go to work for one day only. I wonder how the oil companies would react then? Automobiles are a necessity in today's society but it doesn't mean that we should continually take the brunt of it all.

GWENHOODMILLS 09:16:59 PM May 30 2008

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gm - If we as consumers would boycott all gas stations this week that are over $4.10 we will cause the gas prices to at least slow down. Once the gas stations starts dropping their prices below $4.10. That is the time to boycott all stations that are above $4.05. I guarantee we will see at least a slow down in gas. A few years ago when the prices went up and we the consumers began fighting back we saw results. Let's work together starting today. If we don't wait until we have to get gas we can be more selective of what we are paying. By the way there is a Shell Gas Station on Fairfax and San Vicente that is high when prices are low. I heard they were up $.10 over other stations. Don't go there! They need to be put in jail for highway robbery.

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