According to the DOT (Department of Transportation):

The Department of Transportation said figures from March show the steepest decrease in driving ever recorded.

Compared with March a year earlier, Americans drove an estimated 4.3 percent less — that’s 11 billion fewer miles, the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration said Monday, calling it “the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history.” Records have been kept since 1942.

According to AAA, for the first time since 2002, Americans said they were planning to drive less over the Memorial Day weekend than they did the year before.

Last week I asked my readers to complete a survey about gas prices and specifically Memorial Day travel plans. Thanks to all who participated. Now the results:

• Twenty respondents, representing the following states:
  • Michigan (5)
  • Colorado (1)
  • Texas (1)
  • Arizona (1)
  • New York (1)
  • New Jersey (1)
  • Wisconsin (1)
  • Tennessee (1)
  • Oregon (1)
  • North Carolina (1)
  • Pennsylvania (1)
  • Oklahoma (1)
  • Georgia (1)
  • Missouri (1)
  • New Hampshire (1)
  • South Carolina (1)

• 50% (10) planned on traveling by automotive vehicle over the holiday weekend.
• Of those traveling (10)
  • 5 (25%) planned on going a total of 1-100 miles.
  • 3 (15%) planned on covering a total of 100 – 500 miles.
  • 2 (10%) planned on traveling more than 500 miles.
• Regarding gas prices:
  • 55% (11) reported prices between $3.60 and $3.80
  • 30% (6) reported prices between $3.80 and $3.99
  • 15% (3) reported prices over $4.00 (one was from New York and two from Michigan. The three other responses from Michigan completed the survey prior to our gas moving to $4.19 in most areas late last week).
• 75% stated that gas prices had not changed their travel plans for the holiday weekend.
  • (actually, as a researcher, I should have asked this question differently and directed it only at those who were planning on traveling over the weekend. There likely were those who had planned on not going anywhere, regardless of gas prices. So, this is not a useful question the way I worded it)
  • Of those who said gas prices had changed their plans (5), they gave the following responses (this includes 2 people who said the prices had not changed their plans, for a total of 7 responses):

  We decided we’d better go see my mother-in-law NOW rather than later as the prices continue to rise!

  I’m happy staying home for Memorial Day. My family is here.

  Cutting back

  My driving has changed period, not just for Memorial Day.

  too expensive

  The price of gasoline has made it very difficult to have enough money to go around for everything else.

  will not travel as far

• In response to the question “how concerned are you about gas prices?”, I received the following:
  • Very concerned. How are we supposed to drive to work? My husband and I are commuting together because of this.
  • I am deeply concerned that politicians are attacking oil companies for votes and blocking efforts to drill for oil in the U.S.
  • I am only marginally concerned.
  • Not real concerned, but I can see us all having to adjust our lifestyles to accomodate the increase in gas prices as well as all the other areas that higher gas prices will effect.
  • Very concerned. I am afraid that the high gas prices are going to impact many other areas of the economy and cause great hardship for a lot of people.
  • We have talked about walking to work, buying a moped, consolidating trips and less spending in general. We also noticed there seems to be less cars on the road recently.
  • We have talked about walking to work, buying a moped, consolidating trips and less spending in general.
  • Less money to spend elsewhere
  • Medium Concern – I think the media definitely creates undue hysteria
  • Congress has not helped us(many pork barrel projects for some, being too careful of foreign governments, etc.), nor has these enviromentalist groups with only their agendas, nor has the actions/reputations of past oil drillers helped. If reason, looking out for the US as one nation (not speciality groups/projects), and accountability were to be truly a part of the equation then perhaps there could be headway in good solid solutions to the oil problems and other economic challenges.
  • Very Concerned
  • As a one income family, we are really starting to bite the bullet. We recently sold one minivan and bought a Mitsu for my husband to drive his 30 mile one-way trip to work. Our grocery budget has really put a crimp in our life, particularly the cost of produce. We have decided to forego our summer vacation this year and go camping for several weekends. We are managing right now, but I fear that gas prices will rise to $6 a gallon within the year and we will be seriously hurting. While it may be hard for us, some of our elderly neighbors are driving their golf-carts to the grocery stores. That might be an investment to consider. Our economy is tanking and the US Dollar is worth nothing. What a sad state of affairs. I fear it will only get worse before it gets better.
  • It seems like the cost of gasoline is driving the price of other products up as well, including food. The problem is, it isn’t driving wages up. We are still receiving the same wages but the cost on everything else is going up. It makes it very hard to make ends meet.
  • In an oversimplified note, I think that the gas prices reflect the overall direction we are headed in…trouble. Also, the fact that so many single-occupant cars are seen on the road in my metro area, reminds me that people still don’t “get it” and continue to be gas hogs!
  • $5/gallon will be painful. But, compared to a gallon of milk, it still seems like a bargain. I’ll adjust my habits/hobbies to accomodate. I’m less worried about the price of gas than I am about GWB printing more and more money.
  • It is getting very rough to do anything. We are cutting a lot of corners.
  • higher gas prices raise the cost of other goods
  • I’m not overly concerned – God will provide, but it has reminded me to be wise in my travel decisions on a day to day basis.
    
  • on a scale of 0-10, I would say that my concern is about 7
  • very

After reading the responses about how concerned people are about gas prices, I realized that one more piece of information would have been particularly helpful, and that would be knowing annual income and see how that correlates to level of concern.

On the local news last night I saw them talking with a person at a gas station filling up their RV. It was over $500!!! Personally, I find that obscene – both the price and that people will pay it. If I was doing that well financially, I would still park the RV and use that $500 for someone who’s having trouble buying food for their children or buying 10 gallons of gas to get to work.

Thanks to all who participated. Watch for more surveys in the future.

OneMom