Americans Driving Less

We’ve found another one of those slap-the-forehead stories about Americans driving less, mainly due to high gas prices. With 1 million more people on the road, there’s just a 0.3% rise in the number of miles driven so far this year, compared to an average 2.7% rate of growth from 1980 to 2005. The increase in drivers and the fewer miles simply mean people are driving less.

USAToday lists a number of factors besides high gas prices:

• More people are taking public transportation, more than they have in the past 49 years.
• Aging population. People over 55 years of age drive less.
• Today’s yuppies are moving to revitalized downtown areas throughout the country, cutting down on the need for commuting.

Drivers Cut Back — A 1st in 26 Years (USAToday.com)