After owning a hybrid for two months now, it's quite amazing to think about how much this car has changed my driving habits and the way I think about conservation.

In my youth, gas was cheap. Dad owned a full-service station (remember those?). This was in the early '70's. Drove a bunch of muscle cars and rode a few 2-stroke motorcycles, gas mileage was not a consideration. Local dragstrip on the weekends. Took long rides just to go nowhere.

As the years went by, went through many cars/trucks, most were bought for reasons other than fuel efficiency. Most were bought for the sportiness, big engines, etc. Drove them hard. Living in the fast lane.

Now I think about how little power is needed to travel down the road at moderate speeds and drive at much more relaxed pace.

Even learned to back off and drive my wife's Acura TL better - gas mileage has been increasing steadily.

Now, if there was a way to change the attitudes of the general public and educate every driver on the road to drive for efficiency. No matter what type of vehicle you are driving. Hybrid or not.

How many barrels of imported oil could be saved if everyone adopted this driving philosophy?
How much better fuel economy could the average car/truck achieve if they were all equipped with a MPG readout and a driver that cared?
How much safer would the roads be if everyone drove this way?

Maybe when U.S. gas prices catch up with the rest of the world the attitudes will change here.