Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

Newsweek Article

States that when prices stay at $3 a gallon for months, people will finally decide to trade in their trucks and SUVs.

In Dallas, I still see a lot of people drive as if gas is $1.50, blasting by me, or cruising at 80mph semi-tranced.

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

the west omaha driving style has definitley changed. West O is the newer "richer" area of town. I tend to see a lot that bothers me on my normal commute, but driving is now much more subdued. I am not being passed all the way home on a 4 lane. The same vehicle will hang behind me all the way. They will deal with my slower acceleration and coasting for mileage. I absolutely love the change.

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

In my area (Baltimore), the auto parts stores are selling out of locking gas caps. The gas stations have been raising prices about every three HOURS! Really! I had the day off, and the same gas station was $2.99 this morning, $3.39 by noon, and $3.49 by 4:00pm. This has caused "panic" buying. By 4:15, the gas station on my block had run out of gasoline and the police had to direct traffic AWAY from the station.

It's like the 1970's all over again.

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

I have noticed that somewhat. Driving on the highways in town about 2-3 over the speed limit (65mph), I have noticed that I am passing a lot more larger vehicles that I used to.

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

yeah- the past week I found myself in the next-to-right lane at 60-65, not the right lane, becasue I was passing so many trucks & SUVs. Too bad its probably a short-term reaction.

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

Dunno about anyone else but I've also noticed as I drive by stations that a lot of air pumps have car cuing lines, too. Tahoes and Expeditions bloating tires to 45 PSI in hopes of squeezing out somathat MPG stuff they've been hearing about.

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

I do my driving in both the Asheville, NC area and in rural SC. Since the sudden rise in gas prices, the driving experience the two areas have become totally different in regard to traffic speeds. Around Asheville, most of the traffic is still travelling at the usual 10 to 20 over the speed limit that was typical before Katrina. But in rural SC, most of the traffic is travelling at the speed limit and a significant number of vehicles are driving less than the speed limit on roads with speed limits 55MPH or higher. And I've also seen more smaller cars on the road as people pull their old Ford Festivas and Geo Sprints out of high grass behind the garage . This difference is probably due to the fact that rural SC is a economically poorer area and the rise in gas prices has a bigger impact on the budget.

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

Hi Basjoos:

___I am seeing the same around Chicago. A lot more people in the far right lane at 50 – 55 mph. I cannot believe it. I went from the lower 25% quartile to the upper 75% quartile overnight!

___I actually hope it continues as I and I am sure everyone else is also. I am also sure many of us are hoping to see some really big numbers on our next tanks if this does in fact continue ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

I'm in a rural VA area and have seen two small Geos being pulled by trucks this week. Someone is most likely preparing them for use again, they are already moderately common around here.

There real shocker around here is the increase in Prii over the last year. The commuters seem to be gobbling them up. It's hard to go 20 miles without seeing one. They're much more common in these rural areas than the nearby cities.

I see an Insight about once every three months. ;)

Re: Newsweek: US Drivers Starting to Get Serious About Smaller Vehicles
 

I've seen very few hybrids in rural SC, they are somewhat less scarce, not still not common, in the Asheville, NC area.

The slower road speeds are nice, but what gets me are the people who think that you have to accelerate VERY, VERY slowly in order to save gas. When I get behind one of them, I give a burst of throttle, then idle-coast until they start leaving me behind, then another throttle burst to match speeds, then idle-coast, and so on until they FINALLY get up to cruising speed.