Has the rising cost of gas affected your driving habits?

[Doc73]

I know for a fact it has for me lately, as well as with my workplace. Before the price of gas exploded this year, I would sometimes go for a drive in the countryside or explore some of the towns around where I live (Calgary). I had also planned a couple of road trips to BC and to Toronto for a family reunion. Because of the high prices, I have effectively canceled any plans to visit my friends in BC, restricted my leisurely driving, and have been keeping a close eye out for seat sales in the hopes I can get a cheap flight to my family reunion.

Has anyone else had to adjust their driving habits because of the high price of fuel?

 

[Luke Skywalker]

I may think twice about using the car and only use it if I need it.

Unfortunately, I need to use my car in my Real-Estate business, so I have to change the way my business operates. For example, I cant take buyers to see homes that are an hour away or something, or I may send listings by email and let the buyer see the outside of the homes themselves, and if they want to see inside to call me -- whatever is possible to minimise gas use.
While the commissions on a home can support even $ 10.00 per gallon because I get paid allot if I can sell something, the cost on expenses if I don't make a deal, especially if you are in a slump and haven't made a deal in a while, becomes unreasonable.

 

[Killer_Demo]

yea it has changed my driving habits moderately by at least half for me....i use to drive 5 sometimes 6 days a week now i drive 2-3...

 

[The Bat]

Yes, I've had to cancel road trips. No problem, there are tons of other local things to do.

In reality though, no not really. There has been slight change in driving habits but nothing dramatic. I mean, I now carpool a lot more and share the cost of gas evenly between friends but it's not that terrible. In fact, it's more fun to drive together in one car to places. Saves the cell phone bill of calling each other to figure out a rendezvous point.

 

[Effington]

Not for me, but all I use my car for is to get to work and groceries. However, the sales people at work say it's now cheaper to fly from Chicago to Columbus than drive.

 

[mpimpin]

I said I wouldn't let it bother me till it got to $4 a gallon which it almost has here. My LDR is ended so I'm saving money and I'm planning on buying a ninja 250 by the end of this year so it's a pain but not bothering me too much

 

[ketostix]

See this is what gets me. People are cuting back as much as possible on gas consumption. And the price of gas just keeps going up without any end in sight. And we're suppose to believe the primary reason for the rapid and continuing price increase is that demand for crude has skyrocketed practically overnight.

 

[djtdot]

I know for a fact it has for me lately, as well as with my workplace. Before the price of gas exploded this year, I would sometimes go for a drive in the countryside or explore some of the towns around where I live (Calgary). I had also planned a couple of road trips to BC and to Toronto for a family reunion. Because of the high prices, I have effectively canceled any plans to visit my friends in BC, restricted my leisurely driving, and have been keeping a close eye out for seat sales in the hopes I can get a cheap flight to my family reunion.

Has anyone else had to adjust their driving habits because of the high price of fuel?

Hmmm Calgary. Isn't gas cheaper there? You guys produce all the petroleum in Canada. Here in TO its about $1.35 a liter.

 

[Rhoto]

I paid $5.00 a gallon this morning. And it only got the tank 2/3 full.

Any one wanna take over my lease?

I'm really considering getting a much smaller car, like a Mini S or Miata. Now if the STi only got 28mpg.......

 

[Desdinova]

Yes, I've changed some of my habits. I don't randomly go out in the evenings after work as much anymore. Whenever I get the chance, I ride my bike to my destination. I'm also glad I didn't buy that nice V8 that I was eyeballing last year. Eventually, I may have to cut out ALL my leisure driving. I do enough driving as it is - I have to fill my tank almost once a week. Those ugly fvcking Smart cars are starting to look like Corvettes.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I take it that no one here has ever driven in the UK. Gas prices in Britain has been more than double than what we pay here in the states for a VERY long time. They wish that they were only paying $4.00 a gallon. I have a friend in Sierra Leone who says that they've been pushing close to $20 a gallon for a while. This is why other countries laugh at the states when we cry about the cost of goods.

 

[Rhoto]

I take it that no one here has ever driven in the UK. Gas prices in Britain has been more than double than what we pay here in the states for a VERY long time. They wish that they were only paying $4.00 a gallon. I have a friend in Sierra Leone who says that they've been pushing close to $20 a gallon for a while. This is why other countries laugh at the states when we cry about the cost of goods.

Lol, dude I still have my Oyster Pass from the tube system. Efficient transit for the win!

 

[ketostix]

I take it that no one here has ever driven in the UK. Gas prices in Britain has been more than double than what we pay here in the states for a VERY long time. They wish that they were only paying $4.00 a gallon. I have a friend in Sierra Leone who says that they've been pushing close to $20 a gallon for a while. This is why other countries laugh at the states when we cry about the cost of goods.

That gas costed more some places outside the US isn't really the issue. The issue is oil was $20/barrel for everyone on the global market. That's what oil has been or hovered around for decades. If Britian wants to tax gasoline purchases to death or Sierra Leon can't supply affordable gas that's a separate issue. Now fairly suddenly oil is $130/barrel on the global market for no good reason. Everything is going up because of oil prices. Just complaining about gas pices or camparing European gas prices based on a tax structure isn't the real issue at all. It almost seems like some people are happy or something that the public is being forced to hand over $3/gal markup to private individuals, foreign suppliers and the middle east.

 

[Levex]

Other countries are not feeling the impact as bad as US does, because they traditionally had much higher gas prices and developed efficient ways to get around it. In US the whole economic infrastructure is built around using gasoline, so if it jumps up nearly everything goes up in price.
On some flights the plane ticket prices doubled within the last year.

As far as driving habits, i did not change a thing. Even right now with prices over $4/gallon here i dont plan on changing anytime soon.
It used to cost me $35 dollars to fill up, now it costs me almost $50. Thats only $60 dollar a month difference, or one dinner out. Not THAT bad if you ask me...

 

[romangod]

I've changed my habits due to the high price. I walk more and plan on using my bike more. It's a mixed blessing.

 

[bbestar]

No. I actually enjoy driving more especially since my car goes 400 mpgw

 

[Bible_Belt]

The next upgrade to make my car faster is fuel delivery - bigger pump, lines, injectors, and a pressure regulator. I can go from 300 to 400 hp, but it will likely kill my mpg from a reasonable 25 to probably 12-15mpg. My car is a V6, and the guy I bought it from had a highly modded skyline. He was getting about 10-12 mpg in that six-cylinder engine.

btw, if any of you guys want a motorcycle to save money on gas, don't get a litre bike, nothing bigger than 600cc. A Ninja 250 can get 75 mpg if you keep the rpms low. By comparison, my R1 gets about 25 mpg or even less if I get on it.

 

[comic_relief]

Yes, I have changed my driving habits immensely. I couldn't go on vacation this year because of fuel costs, so I went and upgraded my bicycle and bicycle everywhere.

My vacation has been turned from the Jersey shore to a bicycle tour around Pennsylvania.

I remember when I first changed my driving habits. It was right after Katrina that I changed my habits from going maybe 75 to 80 on the highways to 55 to 60. My gasoline usage has changed immensely because of it (What usually would have taken a tank and a half, now only takes a tank). Of course, I began this almost three years ago and now I get pissed off at the commentators that tell me how to save gas because I already do everything that they listed.

I hear from my girlfriend that she doesn't want to do that because it takes up too much time. I just counter with I get to listen to music without being interrupted.

comic_relief

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

That gas costed more some places outside the US isn't really the issue. The issue is oil was $20/barrel for everyone on the global market. That's what oil has been or hovered around for decades. If Britian wants to tax gasoline purchases to death or Sierra Leon can't supply affordable gas that's a separate issue. Now fairly suddenly oil is $130/barrel on the global market for no good reason. Everything is going up because of oil prices. Just complaining about gas pices or camparing European gas prices based on a tax structure isn't the real issue at all. It almost seems like some people are happy or something that the public is being forced to hand over $3/gal markup to private individuals, foreign suppliers and the middle east.

What I was saying is that Europeans are laughing at us because we're wining about finally paying $4.00 a gallon for gas. If you really think about it for a bit, it's silly to whine about it if we're willing to pay that much for a cup of coffee each day. The average car in the states is lucky to get 20mpg yet we tell the world that we (everybody) needs to conserve energy.

Regardless how much oil costs, we're (the states) still a joke in eyes of most of the world. We should have taken care of things back in the 70's and not get sucked into OPEC's drug dealer-like ways. I could only imagine what could have happened if we started following through with the proposed energy plans 30 years ago. It's nobody's fault but our own that OPEC has us by the short hairs.

 

[cedd]

here in France, gas costs 2.3$ (1.5€) a liter.
1 gallon = 3.785 liters so its 8.70$ a gallon...not so cheap :-(

Lots of french people (and i guess the europeans as well) have changed their habits. For my part, Im using more often my bike and the bus/subway. And Im putting less gas in my car...

cheers