Sixty Percent of Consumers Have Cut Back on Driving Due to Higher Gas Prices, NPD Reports

[marmar]

As the national average for a gallon of gas edges closer to $4-a-gallon consumers have cut back on their driving, reports The NPD Group, a leading market research company. NPD s motor fuels research shows that consumers have cut back on their gas purchases from a year ago, which means they are driving less.

According to The NPD Group's Motor Fuels Index, which continually tracks consumer motor fuel purchasing behaviors and attitudes, gallons purchased are down 1.2 percent from a year ago. In addition, a consumer survey conducted by NPD in January to gauge what price level would be required to cause consumers to drive less suggests that at today's gas prices approximately 60% of consumers are cutting back on driving now.

If the current uptick in gas price is sustained, we can expect consumers to begin implementing some key changes like reducing or consolidating shopping trips, taking more mass transit, and carpooling, says David Portalatin, industry analyst for NPD s automotive aftermarket business. In the case of a prolonged spike above $4.00, we d expect even more significant changes like working from home, relocating or changing jobs, or driving a more fuel-efficient vehicle. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10255343/sixty-percent-of-consumers-have-cut-back-on-driving-due-to-higher-gas-prices-npd-reports

[brooklynite]

1. Good thing we have a robust public transit and national rail system...

Otherwise we'd be in real trouble.....

[marmar]

2. Touche !!!

nt

[jtuck004]

3. It's ok - lots of folks have ready cash or credit for a fuel-efficient car... eom

[Romulox]

8. Gas prices are high because of a) Our wars; b) our loose monetary policy; c) corporatist government

Rail changes none of those factors.

[PVnRT]

9. Correct, but rail provides an alternative

Currently, for most Americans, it's either drive or you're fucked.

[Romulox]

12. Nothing to stop the speculators from running up coal.

The larger point being that rail does NOTHING to deal with the fact that energy prices are not set by supply and demand, but rather by price-fixing cartels and speculators. If we stop using oil, they'll make their money on coal. :shrug:

[Kber]

4. I am pretty thankful that my car gets good gas mileage right now.

I get between 43 and 49 MPG, depending on how I'm driving and whether I'm running the heat or A/C.

I have a pretty short commute (about 12 miles one way) and I don't need to fill up more than once every 2 weeks.

I've had this car for about a year and a half and I do appreciate that it's saving me out of pocket expenses right now even if I paid a bit more for the car when I bought it. (Not much more - it was a dealer "loaner" so it had about 8,000 miles on it and was a year old, so it was actually somewhat affordable at $17,500.)

[kestrel91316]

5. I dunno, they still delight in packing the city streets with their giant

black SUV's (preferably the expensive foreign kind) around these parts.

[FLPanhandle]

6. Well, on the upside the high prices are reducing greenhouse gases emissions

Unfortunately, High gas prices are the only effective lever to get people to move to green vehicles and reduce emissions.

[Dappleganger]

11. You are right about that...

$4/gallon seems to be pretty close to that magic number, and $5 would ensure drastic changes being sought by most average Americans.

Except for the rich, of course.

[XemaSab]

7. Between Redding and Sac

prices ranged from $4.19 to $4.39 yesterday. :o

[Dappleganger]

10. Our family has certainly continued to cut way back with driving.

We had already been combining trips, but now dh is actively looking for others to carpool with him (a good thing). We had hoped to buy another used car this year to help our oldest son get to community college, but we just can't afford it so have to make do.