Americans drive 100 billion fewer miles

[Chris]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Driving in America has undergone its most dramatic continuous decline in history, the Department of Transportation said Friday.

Americans drove 100 billion fewer miles during the 12-month period between November 2007 and October 2008 compared with the prior year, according to the DOT's most recent data.

Driving in U.S. continues to decline: DOT - Dec. 12, 2008

 

[Epsilon Delta]

That's excellent news.

 

[WillowTree]

It is.. most excellent news!

 

[Lycurgus]

GREAT ......... Thanks!

 

[random3434]

Good, less idiots for me to deal with on the roads.











Oh, and all that ozone stuff too..............

 

[WillowTree]

Good, less idiots for me to deal with on the roads.











Oh, and all that ozone stuff too..............

yes,, and less cars we will need from the uaw!

 

[Old Rocks]

yes,, and less cars we will need from the uaw!

If the big three crash, it is likely that many of the suppliers will also crash. While this might please you, it probably will not please the Toyota and Honda factories they also supply.

 

[auditor0007]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Driving in America has undergone its most dramatic continuous decline in history, the Department of Transportation said Friday.

Americans drove 100 billion fewer miles during the 12-month period between November 2007 and October 2008 compared with the prior year, according to the DOT's most recent data.

Driving in U.S. continues to decline: DOT - Dec. 12, 2008

If we take everyone's car away and give them a horse, then we can completely rid ourselves of the need for foreign oil. And just think how it would help stop global warming. Oh, wait; all that extra manure would lead to a massive increase in methane released into the atmosphere, and global warming would get worse.

No win situation, I guess.

 

[KittenKoder]

Great news ... don't have to worry about being hit by as many idiot motorists while I am actually getting off my own ass and walking.

 

[Chris]

Now if we can get everyone to switch to electric cars and natural gas trucks, we can move toward American energy independence.

Screw the Saudis!

 

[Zoom-boing]

This is good news. Less cell-phone-talking-and-texting-while-driving idiots for me to contend with. Hopefully people will continue this trend even with gas prices so low. Keep driving like gas is $5/gallon.

 

[xsited1]

I'm afraid I'm to blame for that. I had planned to go to Saturn at least 50 times during 2008 to investigate new business opportunities, but I just couldn't get away.

 

[editec]

And all it took was a $4.50 per gallon gas to make them do it.

Yeah, US!

 

[DiamondDave]

Now if we can get everyone to switch to electric cars and natural gas trucks, we can move toward American energy independence.

Screw the Saudis!

Now if we have those as viable OPTIONS, I am all for it... but forcing someone to give up the car they wish to drive (whether it be a classic 69 Mustang Fastback, or an antique Harley, or a 10 cylinder truck to haul their horse trailer or recreational ATV's) is not the job of government in a free society

 

[Chris]

Now if we have those as viable OPTIONS, I am all for it... but forcing someone to give up the car they wish to drive (whether it be a classic 69 Mustang Fastback, or an antique Harley, or a 10 cylinder truck to haul their horse trailer or recreational ATV's) is not the job of government in a free society

Driving a hybrid or an electric car or a natural gas truck is patriotic. If we keep giving $750 billion dollars a year to foreign oil suppliers, we won't be free for long.

 

[DiamondDave]

Driving a hybrid or an electric car or a natural gas truck is patriotic. If we keep giving $750 billion dollars a year to foreign oil suppliers, we won't be free for long.

Just like paying more in taxes is "patriotic"?

Horseshit

If the viable option is there.. great... a majority people will support it and dependence will go down some because of it... but if people still wish to have gas driven vehicles that they like, or show cars, or work vehicles that do not work well on the alternative technologies yet, they should not be FORCED to go electric

 

[editec]

Market forces change behavior much more effectively than government edict, that's for damned sure.

Of course it would help if government made it possible for private industry to help advance those changed behaviors, too.

Who wouldn't buy a hybrid if they were there to buy, gave us the same benefits and cost about the same?

One of my hopes of what comes out of the ensuing depression is the realization by most Americans that government CAN assist the market to get us on the right path IF government can find the will to make that happen.

 

[Tech_Esq]

Driving a hybrid or an electric car or a natural gas truck is patriotic. If we keep giving $750 billion dollars a year to foreign oil suppliers, we won't be free for long.

We wouldn't be sending $750 billion over there if we were allowed exploit our own natural resources.

Secondly, half of these so called Hybrids only get like 20 mpg, so my non-hybrid S2000 get almost a third better gas mileage than your patriotic hybrid.

When the technology meets the demand people will switch. Trying to jawbone action sooner than that is a fool's errand.

 

[Tech_Esq]

Market forces change behavior much more effectively than government edict, that's for damned sure.

Of course it would help if government made it possible for private industry to help advance those changed behaviors, too.

Who wouldn't buy a hybrid if they were there to buy, gave us the same benefits and cost about the same?

One of my hopes of what comes out of the ensuing depression is the realization by most Americans that government CAN assist the market to get us on the right path IF government can find the will to make that happen.

I think there are one or two anarchists on here, but most of us agree that government has a role to play. I think their role should be limited and targeted. If we want to be the world leader in green technology, that's fine, I have no problem with that.

It's another industry just like any other and in ten years it will have its own GM or Exxon/Mobile or Walmart (so just remember you wanted this people).

Governments role in that should be to forgo taxes on R&D in those technologies, provide credits for developing infrastructure to be used in those technologies, spend money to develop macro-infrastructure and subsidize consumption to assist businesses in selling the green technologies.

 

[editec]

I'm afraid I'm to blame for that. I had planned to go to Saturn at least 50 times during 2008 to investigate new business opportunities, but I just couldn't get away.

LOL.

Go now while gas is still cheap.