The national average is $3.20 per gallon. It will only go higher. At what point do we start making changes in our lifestyles? Will you continue to drive as much as ever, and just cut back elsewhere? Is the demand for gas totally inelastic? Surely, at some point we will start driving less. What are your thoughts?
47 comments:
Yeah, I would say people are definitely going to have to start doing something different. But then again, what alternatives do we have that are just as efficient? Bikes won't really get you anywhere that fast except for maybe short distances. I drive around and although I need gas I obviously don't want to buy it because the prices are ridiculous. The sad thing is we think they are high here but other towns have it worse off. Maybe we should carpool more.
Americans in a recent survey said they wouldn't change their driving habits until gas reached $5 a gallon. I know personally I'm not troubled because my parents pay for gas, but there are definitely a lot of those little errands that waste a ton of gas that everyone could cut back on.
Gas is a necessity in some cases, but our rates of consumption could definitely go down, so I don't think it's really an inelastic good. Metro, anyone?
its all relative to where you live in my opinion..if you live in a large metropolitan area where you didnt drive much in the first place except when you were extra lazy then you used your car. in other cases, you just walked to the corner store to get whatever you needed with the metro or whatever transportation nearby. of course suburbs like Mo-city dont have that type of transportation so people will still drive despite the high prices of gas. yet still, driving will be slightly reduced in my opinion, especially in areas such as austin, and ny, and other "walking towns" where gas will skyrocket. once our gas-buying rates go down, the prices will be forced to go down somewhat
Seeing as my parents pay for my gas in its entirety (and hardly ever look at the bill), my habits will not change until my parents decide to make a decision. I'm sure that if gas prices soar things will change for at least some amount of people nation-wide, but for others it will not matter. eventually gas prices (high or low) will become a part of life, much as it is today.
This affects those of us who live in suburbia and more rural areas more negatively than it affects people who live in cities, where public trasportation and walking, biking, scootering, etc, are reasonable modes of travel. In a place like Missouri City, driving is really the only way to get around but we could help ourselves out by carpooling more and condensing our errands as much as possible. Or by buying smaller, more fuel efficient cars and ditching the gas guzzlers that very few of us actually need.
People in the suburbs have to drive. That's the only way we have to get to work if work is in the city. A carpool is one solution but it's hard to drive less when in the situation most of us are in. Trips to the grocery store are also a problem. The biggest thing we can hope for is more fuel efficient vehicles and the discovery of a massive oil deposit under the United States.
It is virtually impossible to drive substantially less. People say carpool, however, most people don't only go to 1 place at a time. If they do, it usually won't be at the same time as other people.
It seems like its all about comfort. Carpooling restricts spur of the moment decisions and it doesn't allow people to do their own thing.
I would much rather pay $50 for gas than be restricted to other people's plans. Even though most carpooling is done to and from school/work. I like to do side errands before going home, as well as not going home right away.
Also, you may think the price of gas is too high, but can you afford not to drive?
people will always adapt to whatever change gets thrown at them gas goes up ppl stop driving so much, no more long drives to the beach or random stuff like that, i know that i used to go out and just drive randomly on weekends, but i rarely take my car out, i just hitch rides with friends. it works.
we WILL ALWAYS ADAPT TO GAS PRICES..jus as we always have from 99 cents gas to $3 gas 2day...we're nvr gonna stop using it cuz the price..
I personally stop drivin so much and try 2 be as gas efficient by NOT pressing the pedel 2 hard on my navigator..
FREAKIN 8 MI/GAL SUKS! gonna be efficient but still use my car..
yeah like deborah my parents pay for my gas, so i feel sorry for all the other people who work to pay for their own gass, cause i know it takes a chunk out of the paycheck. But still, me and my friends all try to be efficient in driving. We often meet up and take one car when its a farther distance and take turns pooling eachother around. this can split gas costs in like 4 so its a good idea. other times, people rely on you for their gas. like, every sunday i go to westheimer... everytime i go there on average i take 5 people with me stuffed in my small car. The gas price is pretty high now, but its def not high enough for me to actually try hard to conserve. Though gas may have jumped like 15 cents- the ttotal gas bill for each ttime i pump adds up to only a dollar or 2 more, so ill survive for now. people with cars usually dont walk as much im assuming. its those people who cant drive and underclassmen who might sometimes have to walk/bike for a while to get to friends houses or somethihng. i know thsi because of my sophmore brother and his friends. they either walk to eachothers houses or i pick them all up
price is not the problem, the cost of the standard of living will continue to rise regardless. 99cents seems like a steal and i'm sure 3$ will seem like a steal 10 years from now. but the issue condenses into a simple question: which is more fun to use, a bicycle or a skateboard?!?!?
My parents also pay for my gas and I don't think I would nee dto change my driving habits until the price got up to around $5.00. If it starts getting towards that point I will surely avoid any unnecessary driving. It doesn't bother me as much though knowing that we're one of the countries that pay the lowest prices for gas, though most people won't believe it.
The price of gas may be increasing, but there are still other problems the world is facing. So many people think about whoa did you see how much the gas price raised, but they don't wonder to ask why.
Im hoping people will start to drive less and less, that way prices won't go much as they do and they might start to slow down. By starting to drive less we could also help the environment, but I know for a fact that most people right now even if they complain about the price they continue consuming gas just the same way. But then again in Texas everything is too far away to get there any way besides using the car.
I believe it truly depends on where a person lives...if someone in an area that provides alternative transportation (buses/metro), then the logical approach would be to resort to such..yet if a person isnt given those opportunities, they'll have to continue driving..people have to go places...its hardd to live without cars
I agree with many others when I say that I hardly look at the gas bill since my parents pay for all of my gas. However, I do think that sooner or later each and every one of us will have to confront our problems head on. First of all, the size of everything in Texas is a little bit ridiculous. As many of you know, I am from Michigan. In Michigan there are not nearly as many gas guzzling SUVs and trucks; people realize how wasteful they are and find other means of transporting large loads.UHAULS anyone? There are also such things as "smarte cars" in Europe which I think are roughly the size of a handicapped bathroom stall. People all around the world cope everyday. Why can't we?
Like Danny said, we will always adapt. Yes we will all feel the pain when gas is $8 a gallon, but Americans are way too lazy to switch to bikes or carpooling. We like our independence and commodities. The higher the gas prices, people will only be pushed to buy more efficient cars or electric cars.
I definitely think people need to cut down on gas usage. Polls have come out that if Americans would cut their driving habits 10%, gas emissions and CO2 levels would drop down over 20%. For every action there is a reaction, or consequence,and people need to understand that there actions now have consequences. Since prices have gone up, I have definitely cut back on driving around. It's time people think a little less about themselves and more about the future.
I'm sure if the price of gasoline becomes ridiculous such as $4.00 a gallon then maybe people will have to change how they usually get around town. Seeing how my parents pay for my gas I really don't pay much attention anyway. I do believe that carpooling could solve part of the problem though plus it would be better for the environment as well. However, people don't want to be restricted to other people's schedules when they carpool. Americans want to do their own thing on their own time.
although people complain about how high gas prices are, people continue to drive their big cars. americans like being independent and driving their nice cars. even though i think people should cut down their driving i dont think it will happen any time soon.
I think that people will consider other alternatives... but the price of gas will not change anything for the most parts in major cities like Houston. In order to provide for your family, persons HAVE to travel by cars because of the distance between places. That is not a changing variable in people's lives... but as a result families might start limiting other things such as how many long distance trips are made out of town, or how much the family eats out, or things like that. Gas is a necessity, NOT an option.
People may carpool more but other than that there aren't alot of options for everybody. I know in missouri city, if you don't drive you are not going to get anywhere really. So people are going to keep paying these high gas prices until they become just to high for anybody to pay.
i think there are still alternatives like mass transportation and other forms like walking or bikes, especially in those cities in the Northeast. I would probably just start carpooling more, or else just not go anywhere. americans fail to realize the fact that we dont HAVE to go to all these places, like the mall or other places that deliver fun. we just choose to. fun is not mandatory!
I haven't really been paying attention to gas prices, primarily because the bill always goes to my Mom's credit card. But today, I was running on empty and only had five bucks so when I pumped, I barely got 1.6 gallons. I remember at least reaching 2 gallons with that usual lonely five dollar bill in my wallet. My biggest concern is puttering out on the side of the road because a broke person like me can't afford more gas. I'm not going to lie, I'm not sure carpooling is the best idea unless it is extremely organized. I try the carpooling thing but it always ends up as me being the only one driving anywhere. However, gas is extremely essential. No one is going to stop going anywhere. I even doubt that people will do anything when gas reaches $5/gallon .
Carpool. That’s what i do a lot now a days. But you can't carpool everywhere. Plus if you go to Cali. The gas prices are even higher. I think we should just take over places like Venezuela and there oil producing abilities. And this is America, the majority of citizens own or want to own a car. The only way i would drive something else that didn’t run on oil, is if i was driving the vehicles from like Mad Max Beyond the Superdome. Those were some sweet cars.
IM pretty sure that people will try to stop wasting so much gas once the prices become really high since they wont really have a choice. Especially people that hardly make enough money for their bills. the price changes wouldnt affect me as much since my parents pay for it but im pretty sure it'll affect me once I leave to college and I have to drive home ...
Since the gas price keeps going up, I already stopped most of my weekend activities. $3.20 per gallon is really high even if my parents will pay most of the cost of the gas.
The gas money keeps going up, so people will definitely use less than they have in the past.
It will also have an affect on the presidential campaigns. It will be a major stock issue.
Just because my mom mostly pays for my gas, doesn't mean I'm not going to try and find ways to save. I even got a job on the way home from school so that I can minimize the amount of gas used and won't have to spend half of my paycheck on gas.
I do agree that it's really difficult for people who live in suburbs to get anywhere, in a decent amount of time, without driving.
Gas prices SUCK. However, I find myself kind of indifferent about the topic being that I drive a stick-shift Miata (yay for awesome gas mileage!)...and have never had to pay for my own gas. I can honestly say that right now, things are fine FOR ME, but as for the nation as a whole? EWWW. Gas needs to go down for realll. When I have to start paying for my own gas, I think that I will conserve more, carpool more, that sort of thing.
Well i hate to be honest...but since i don't pay for my gas i dont realize the drastic prices as much as those who do pay for it. I understand that the price is getting ridiculously higher and will continue to get worse, but im sure my parents are worrying WAY more about it than i am! Maybe in a couple of years i will begin to get affected by it....but in reality i just whip out the credit card not even realizing how much money i spent to fill up my car with gas...i guess i should fix that :-/ just being honest :-)
--chelbi jackson
Driving is becoming an expensive luxury in our country and, unfortunatly, our lifestyle is so dependent on it, i think making changes will be a hard thing to do. The fact that we are so dependent on this resource is kinda scarry when it seems to be at such a low supply and at such a high demand and our daily lives are so dependent of it. However, no matter what happens, it is going to be expensive. If we continue to buy gas at these high prices and continue our leisure driving habbits, gas will only increase in price and eventually many people will not be able to afford anything but public transportation. On the other hand say there is a new breakthrough in automotives and a efficent engine is built using some type of alternative energy, that too will be pricy and many people will not be able to afford it - in the long run however this will make us more independent of this resource.
i think it would be really hard for people to find alternatives and people aren't willing to do so. i don't blame them, there's not much for suburbans to do besides carpool!
People are hard pressed to stop driving when you live in a suburb. Most jobs are within the city and therefore you have to drive to them. And until there is a substitute for oil that is cheaper and equally efficient, then people will just have to keep adjusting their budgets to the rising prices.
I'm glad that gas prices are rising. I think that the more people switching to hybrids and more economical vehicles, the air will be less polluted and we can finally start working on our pollution problems. I hope to see many more vespas scooting around the area.
As a student it is not as fun to drive anymore due to the rising price of gas. I am tired of paying 80$+ for a tank of gas and the alternate sources of transportation are rising. The price of hybrids are beyond the price of a regular car and even sometimes 2x the price of a regular car. I honestly hate to see where we will be in ten years from now.
I honestly don't foresee Americans changing their driving habits because of this increase in gas prices. We haven't changed our habits in the last few years as prices have drastically increased. The only feasible solution will be to increase the fuel efficiency of cars in America. The piece of legislation passed by Congress requiring carmakers to meet a minimum of 30 mpg is a step in the right direction.
I think that we would like to say that we really would start cutting down on our amount of gas that we use, but in reality, I think it's going to have to be extremely high for that to happen. Americans are too selfish. If they want to go to the beach, they'll pay the cost and go. It's going to have to be something big in order for us to cut down.
On the other hand, if we cut down, certain areas of our economy would be hurt. Gas affects everything. Airplanes have to pay, and they incorporate the price in to ticket prices. If the cost goes up, then we stop flying. It will be the domino effect.
I'd also like to add that instead of cutting down on gas, I usually just cut something else down.
For example, if gas is $3.50 I am not going to stop going places to save money, I will instead stop buying fast food or things of that nature. I cut down other areas that are more logical. I can easily stop buying fast food but I can't just stop driving.
People are probably driving less for every cent it goes up. Now, I don't mean that their total driving goes down (because they will still have a vacation or something, here and there); but they will probably try to consolidate their driving activities. Do it all at once, so you don't have to make multiple trips per week.
although i personally would eventually ride a bike around town (especially in college), i think weare too spoiled to not use a car if we "need" to. i mean walking or biking is good and stuff but no one wants to do that when they are are going from mo city to downtown every moring... the only solution, is to move to a small town and walk wherever you wanna go.
Everybody is aware of the high gas prices and everyone has been saying that it is too much and that we should use alternative fuels or find a way to conserve what gas we have. However, two problems arise. Either they use an alternative form of transportation like carpooling or public transportation to save gas- this can take up too much time and becomes a burden on some involved. OR (the approach most use) which is to wine about gas and be inactive in solving the problem or attempting to contact those who can. This conversation about the rising price of gas has been going on since we were in 7th grade, yet it continues to get higher. Its like watching a tidal wave get closer and closer and rather than getting the hell out of dodge, you build a shack underneath the wave. Reality is that we will be talking about this still until 2020 when we will have invaded three more Middle Eastern countires in pursuit of their natural resoucres. Or maybe just Canada
I feel that we should begin making changes now. Now is the time to conserve gas and stop driving so much. People should try to carpool more often rather than drive themselves everywhere. We should start making changes now, before the price of gas gets any worse. People should also try to run all of their errands at once rather than make separate trips all of the time.
people will still definitely continue to drive because no matter what anyone says they cannot change their ways. People will just continue to say things such as "oh I'll let other people deal with the environment and just pay for this little bit of gas for my hummer h3, it'll be no big deal." It would be way to difficult for that many people who are accustomed to driving as much as we do to change, so chances are people will still continue to pay regardless of the price.
Are people truly just inclined towards inaction? Is stating a problem, or even a hypothetical solution, any more comforting than actually coming to the closure of resolve? When it comes to gas prices, it would seem that people fall victim to this fault more often than while in other situations. It seems that not a week passes in which someone does not gripe to me over the pangs of having to spend your hard earned cash. But, anytime I offer some sort of solution on limiting the consumption of gas, the solution is cast asunder deemed too simplistic for a complex situation as this. People tend to analyze predicaments to an extreme to the point in which they are fighting an ideal rather than the problem at hand, leading to general inaction. Perhaps we would all be better off taking the simplistic approach of cutting off the losses when and if restricting personal gas consumption fails. After all, what doesn't have us sell our car makes it stronger.
At some point..yes we will definately have to start cutting back on our driving expenditures.. I would enlighten you all with a more in-depth analysis but I am VERY tired!
like half the people have said, my parents pay for my gas. if they tell me to drive less, i will. if they dont, i wont. as long as people live in suburbs or spread out cities like houston, they will need gas. they will have to drive and will have no alternative but to pay obscene amounts of money for gas. by the time i graduate from college and get a job i fully expect gas to be at an astronomical price.
thats why with my first paycheck im going to buy and elephant and ride that to work.
It seems to me that people will continue driving just as much as ever regardless of the price. I suppose that's one of the luxuries of living in America.
I do hope, though, that by the time I start driving, there will be alternative sources of energy to help cut back on the cost of gas and provide people with something maybe cheaper and more efficient.
Post a Comment