41% of Drivers Didn’t Change Habits When Gas Was $3
October 11th, 2006 | by Brian Carr |Last week you may have noticed or taken part in a poll that I was running on the left hand side of the page that asked whether or not your driving habits had changed thanks to the recent 30% drop in gas prices.
While it didn’t surprise me that a majority of those who voted said they were still driving to get the best gas mileage possible, I very surprised at what the second most popular answer was.
Nearly 41% of people polled stated that they didn’t change their habits in the first place, even when gas prices were at their all-time record highs. With 48% of people stating they were still trying to get the best gas mileage possible, I was taken back by how close the vote actually was, especially considering the built in bias of who regularly visits this site. After all, this is a site about ways to save gas.
Granted, I know this was a very unscientific poll, many of the voters were probably biased and the sample size (just under 100 people) probably wasn’t indicative of the general population, but at the same time, those stats certainly weren’t what most people would have expected.
Considering the huge outcry this summer when gas hit a record high of $3.06 per gallon, I assumed that more people would have tried to get better gas mileage out of their cars, whether it was through better driving habits or by driving less.
On the other hand, I did receive a lot of traffic from Fark, so that may be the actual reason why the numbers were skewed from the norm. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
16 Responses to “41% of Drivers Didn’t Change Habits When Gas Was $3”
By kat-kat on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
Duh. Because we can’t. Our country’s infrastructure is built so that anyone not living in cities can’t get to work or school or anywhere else without a car.
I couldn’t change my habits or I would’ve been fired.
By seething ganglia on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
You, and lots of others, could have made an effort to use a bit less fuel. All it takes is the application of some simple rules and principles that are quite well known.
See http://www.fueleconomy.gov for more information.
By john on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
I drive to get somewhere. I usually need to be at that place on-time. Gas usage is a secondary concern. Time is money, and the amount of gas used to get somewhere quickly (and safely, if we’re talking about size of car driven) is well worth the time I save by getting there. Granted, I did drive the Avalanche a bit less during that time… Eventually, the Chinese are going to turn all of that petrolium into plastic spatulas anyways. Might as well use it as liquid entertainment while it lasts.
By Katherine on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
Well, several ways are carpooling, pumping up your tires regularly, keeping your oil changed.. to name just a couple. I know this and I don’t even own a car! Carpools may be a hassle to set up and keep going, but they pan out in the long run.
By BallsackConundrum on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
I agree with Kat-Kat. When you live in the suburbs, with the cost of a train ticket to three towns away costing more then the gas would, you drive. When you live in the countryside, it’s even more absurd. Also, the timing of the public transport in the ‘burbs has been inconvenient for local commutes for ages. Why should I wake up an hour to two hours early to catch the only train that will get me to work on time, and then walk up to two miles to my place of employment?
Unrealistic, until public transport becomes a logical and SAFE option. Timing or not, I know many women refuse to go on the trains/subways/busses at all. It’s considered a risk… Not on the train/subway/bus itself, but once you leave. Sick people can and will follow you and hurt you.
By plusKaye on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
I figured out what the best speed was to get the optimal gas-mileage. (My car calculates it both on the fly and cummulative). I increased my cummulative gas mileage by nearly 7 miles to the gallon by turning off the air conditioner, driving 55-65 mph, even on the 70 mph limit highway, and keeping my tires inflated. Just a couple of **small** sacrifices (sweating in the 90 degree heat with 90% humidity, planning my time better, getting a little dirty to fill the tires) made a big difference, and I plan on keeping these new habits. It is my opinion that the gas prices simply aren’t high enough if people are still mindlessly consuming as always.
By Cameron at Laugh It Off on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
Hmm.. Stats like that are difficult to interpret. More statistics to shock you are demonstrated in this comic strip…
http://www.laughitoff.info/archive.php?Comic=WealthDistribution
By Charles on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
It’s always amusing to me to end up sitting by the person in an insane hurry at the next stoplight. It happens all the time.
When fuel costs skyrocketed, I changed my driving behavior. I lock my cruise control at or near the speed limit, and I’ve noticed that it doesn’t take me but a few seconds longer (literally) to get to my destination.
Unless you’re going to be driving at a speed of at least double the limit, driving fast to get there fast is largely a myth..
The bottom line is that the flow of traffic is much smoother if people practice as much give on the roadway as they do take. Don’t slam your brakes before you get to your freeway exit, slow down in the off-ramp. Don’t weave in and out of traffic as if you’re the only important driver on the road. Everyone has a place to get to, and I know I don’t appreciate you sacrificing the safety of every other driver on the road just so you can shave 15 seconds off of your time to get to work when you’re running late.
By Jack on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
Ever consider the fact that the reason people may not have changed their driving habits in the first place is because they were already driving as economically as possible?
By Greenpeace must die on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
i would gladly pay 10$ a gallon, so no asshats are on the road and i can drive 100mph in peace in my 1972 Ford Mustang with 429.C.I. engine getting 4mpg. Knowing that the freaking pigs in the speed traps didn’t have the petrol to catch me.
we are not running out of oil , liberalism is a mental disorder.
P.S. i have no Cat converter on my car, and global warming is a good thing.
By Madison on Oct 11, 2006 | Reply
John, sorry but that isn’t rational; at least not the safety bit. My boyfriend and I have a Honda Fit and we have averaged 40mpg (5.9lt/100km) since we bought the car earlier this summer. It has six airbags making it one of the safest cars out there. Big trucks/SUVs are not safer simply because of there size. Your car is more likely to roll or lose it in corners or bad roads than ours is. Yes, you may have momentum on your side, but that just means your more likely to kill someone you hit.
“Might as well use it as liquid entertainment while it lasts.” I think reflects your real reasons more.
By Chaz on Oct 12, 2006 | Reply
No one really cares about the price of gas in America! This is borne out by the fact that
a) any number of huge, gas-guzzling SUVs are bought daily by Americans with no interest in the cost of the fuel, or interest in the environment, and
b) the vast majority of drivers have no concern about the fuel they’re using whilst their engines are idling… they leave the engine running while parked, going into a store, and even when waiting for a bridge to close (often this is 20 minutes of waste!).
c) Gas in America is cheap! It costs a fraction of what people pay in Europe, just as do other energy costs.
d) Most of the time, the pollution drivers are creating affects locations other than in their own, where they live.
By Scott from ES High School on Dec 12, 2006 | Reply
Reading these results, I am shocked that 41% of Americans still pour money into the bottomless pit we call gas stations, and yet, do not attempt to find a solution. However, I find myself doing the exact same; go ahead, call me a hypocrite. I drive a ‘92 Ford F-250, getting a titanic 9 mpg. The only change I’ve made is switching into neutral when going down hills, but that’s more for fun. The fact is, I find it too inconvenient, to drive slower, with the windows up, and the air conditioning off, and coasting more. We are in a world were time is of the essence; we need to get from point A to point B without passing go or collecting $200. Furthermore, I am way too cheap to buy a new, foreign hybrid. The fact alone that I am not supporting my domestic economy is deterring my purchase, but the rising gas prices tried my patience. The fact was, in the short run, I wouldn’t be able to afford a car payment, and therefore I would sacrifice paying more for Chevron with Techron. Every middle class American finds themselves between a rock and a hard place, and they find that their marginal utility is definitely worth the marginal cost. We complain about the gas prices, blame others, and criticize oil tycoons, but really, we are at fault. We control supply and demand, without the consumer, the producer would cease to exist.
PS- I’d like to thank the author of all these articles, I will use several in one of my essays for AP English.
By Brian Carr on Dec 12, 2006 | Reply
Glad this article will help you out. Hopefully my terrible grammar won’t penalize you!
By NeutralExistence.com on Mar 29, 2007 | Reply
Unfortunately, because of the way suburbs are setup, it is very difficult and inconvenient for people to change their driving habits drastically. Personally I live in the suburbs and we really dont have a public transportation system here,(3 buses) and my office is about 10 miles away and we are in the south (very hot) so walking or riding a bike is not very feasable as I dont have a shower at the office.
However, there are things we can do as consumers to increase our fuel eficiency. I recently bought an Oxy-Hydrogen generator for my Scion TC and it increases Fuel economy by about 28%. Not only that but I get a little more horsepower as well, because hydrogen burns faster creating a faster downstroke.
Anyway, the point is, as consumers we can buy things like this or hybrid cars and save thousands on gass and keep thousands of lbs. of CO2 from ever reaching the atmosphere.
This way it is more convenient and the person doesnt have to change, which is the only way to really reach the masses.
Peace,
Adam
http://www.neutralexistence.com