How much would gas have to cost before you would change your driving habits?

Question

Or buy a smaller car?

vortec: So you'd buy $50 a gallon gas instead of groceries just to get an inflated sense of self esteem? Sad.

Answer 1

Better yet how much would gas have to cost before we all write our congressmen and senators? We need to find alternative fuel. Oil companies are gouging us. When are we going to get that? It all about profits. When are we going to stand up and demand better. We did it in the 60's. We built rockets in record time and over 40 years later we can't build a car that doesn't run on oil. What fools we are.

Answer 2

Probably $5 a gallon. Unfortunately, getting to/from work via public transportation is not an option where I live. Stores are not "down the block" so shopping requires taking the car as well.

When I can work from home, I do, but in my current job, I work with many people in Europe and am on calls or in meetings most of the day. That makes working from home very difficult, if not impossible most days.

I have cut back a bit on longer drives, in terms of going to my house in the mountains, which is about 100 miles each way.

As some of the other posters mention, I have been considering a motorcycle for my daily commute.

Answer 3

Sometimes when I pull into the gas station and pull that handle and start to pump gas...I think about a time when people who wanted to see change did something about it - show the masses they meant business and they were not going to be used and tossed to and fro again. That time was in Montgomery, when black people, tired of getting on a bus in the front, dropping their coins and then getting off to board the back of the bus. A people who made things happen by avoiding the busses - a time when not a lot of people had cars - and the collective action of the people resulted in the mass downfall of a metropolitan transportation system loosing millions of dollars - just because they found other ways to get to their destination. What if we, the American public, had the same gumption, desire to really see some change? I honestly believe that if we stopped buying gas - limit our transportation to a few people and the gas stopped flowing - they would see and hear and feel the real message. You cannot keep fooling around with our people and think we will continue to take it. We have become so placid - we don't stand up for anything, anymore! If we stopped buying their gas, they would be forced to lower the prices. I'll bet you could get all of them to the negotiating table then! It makes no sense and certainly is not fair that the oil "wizards' never suffer. Wrong or right - they clean up! Where is the fair in that policy? I have changed my driving habits. I don't go anywhere except to work and church. My car is parked.

Answer 4

I already have. I don't drive anywhere unless I absolutely have to. My husband goes to work and if we need anything he gets it before he comes home so we don't have to waste gas going to get it somewhere else. Gas is already costing people a lot more then just money. I actually quit my job because the pay was actually less then what I was paying to gas up the car. I only go grocery shopping once a month and we don't go out we stay at home for the most part.

Answer 5

There are a lot of good answers to this question. Personally I believe gas is already outrageous and I've cut back on my driving as much as possible. I live outside of town so I limit my trip to town to once a week. I honestly believe if everyone filled up their tanks and didn't buy gas for a week or more (depending on how long the tank lasted you) then the government would get the point. Seriously think about it, if nobody and I mean nobody bought gas for a solid week that would put a hurting on the gas industry and maybe just maybe wake up the eyes of our government.

Answer 6

I am a Sheet Metal Worker and work in industrial maintenance and construction and I don't have the luxury of not having a car. I am a union worker and my contract forbids carrying company tools, materials, or equipment so I don't have to drive my truck to work so I can drive my car and put my tools in the trunk. I have a large truck that I use to hunt and to go camping. I have a small car for work it gets about 30mpg. I also am thinking about getting a motorcycle b/c my wife has been using my truck more lately and I would leave the car here for her and just use it when I can't leave my tools at work. My current job-site is 53 miles away. So I guess gas price will not affect my going to work but it will affect my hunting habits. I will hunt at places closer to home and hopefully I can get a new house with some hunting land right there so I don't have to drive.

Answer 7

I wouldn't buy a different kind of car or anything, but I haven't been driving as much as I used to for probably the past year or 2. I combine my trips as much as possible. One good thing now is that I work near a major shopping center where Walmart, Target, Kohls and a grocery store are located. I shop at those 4 stores all the time and now I can just do it after work on my way home instead of making a special trip.

Answer 8

At nearly $4 per gallon (here in the SF Bay Area), I already have. I used to spend hours driving around the countryside just for the enjoyment of it. Nowadays, I live a half-mile from where I work and I drive as a little as possible. I'm averaging about a tank of gas every 6 weeks. I used to go through a tank about every 4 days.

Answer 9

Personally, i think the price of gas has already affected driving habits. the phrase "I dont have the gas to be going out there" or "Well, if i go are YOU going to pay for my gas?" is sounding more and more familiar everyday. When gas reaches about 10 dollars a gallon people might start looking into other options instead or fuel-burning cars.

Answer 10

At the current rate of gas, I want a Prius. They get great gas mileage and I think they're really cute. I am also considering taking over the family car, which, though very old, can run on canola oil, so I could fix up the looks and get a $5 tank of gas. But I think most people would rather pay $50 a gallon and drive their gas guzzlers than drive a tiny little Prius or SmartCar. Or even buy a car that runs on something other than gas.

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