I drive from SoCal into the mid-west in my Prius. I like to use the, "old" U.S. highway system. The speed limit can go as low as 55. However, I'm retired so I can plan to take a couple of days for example to drive from Long Beach, CA to Tucson, AZ.

But to answer the thread's question, the following was in today's LA Times' Business Section:http://www.latimes.com/business/prin...,1900851.story

It seems that out here gas consumption has dropped around 1.1% and apparently drivers are slowing down all over the country. More carpooling, bike riding and motorcycling going on. Well, that's it in a nut shell

The Times can be chary about who looks at their website's material.

The following is quoted from the L. A. Times, Feb. 18, 2008. Byline: Ronald D. White

"In California, the nation's biggest fuel market, drivers have been burning through less gasoline than they had the year before for six straight quarters. From July through September, the most recent data available, Californians used 46.2 million fewer gallons, or 1.1% less than in the year-earlier period."

"With gasoline prices doubling since 2003, motorists nationwide are conserving fuel by taking fewer trips, driving slower and paying premiums for the most fuel-efficient vehicles, the Congressional Budget Office said in a recent report."