Last year, the amount of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) dropped for the first time in just about forever. It was a big drop, too. In comparing November 2008 to November 2007, the USDOT found that Americans drove 12.9 billion miles (5.3 percent) less. The VMT drop kind of made sense though most of 2008 because of the $4 a gallon gas prices that forcesd many people to find alternatives to one-person-one-car. But now, with gas back down to $2, we’re still not getting into our cars as much as we used to. Want a reason? How about worry?

Jim Motavalli, writing in the Hartford Advocate, figures that we’re not driving as much as we used to because we were worried about gas prices and those fears are still around. Now, though, we’re worried about the high cost of everything else. We don’t go on vacation and we’re not buying new cars; we’re simply going to the movies and driving to work and back. Does this describe you at all?

[Source: Hartford Advocate]
Photo by jordanmac101. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Filed under: Etc., Green Daily

It’s not high gas prices but worry that’s keeping us out of our cars originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not high gas prices but worry that’s keeping us out of our cars – Green Cars