How much are high gas prices altering the Northwest's driving habits?

A new study shows weekly gas consumption among Oregon and Washington residents at its lowest level in nearly 50 years.

"The high price of gas has taken a bite out of our driving," said Clark Williams-Derry, research director at the Seattle-based sustainability think tank Sightline Institute.

According to an analysis released by Sightline on Wednesday (PDF), per capita gas consumption by Oregonians residents was 7.1 gallons per week in 2011. In Washington, it was 7.3 gallons a week.

At its peak in the late 1970s, per capita gas consumption in the Northwest was about 10.4 gallons a week. The region has fallen to 1964 levels, the study shows.

Meanwhile, the study shows personal vehicle travel on "state-owned roads" has skidded 13 percent since 2002, something that the institute considers "a real shift in our relationship with our cars."

As has been reported by Hard Drive in the past, young Americans aren't as interested in driving as they have been in the past.

"In addition to high gas prices, social trends and new technologies have spurred younger Americans to rethink their driving habits," Williams-Derry said. "Driver's ed is more expensive, new licensing laws are more stringent, and the rise of digital media has partially replaced the need for a car."

Still, experts say it's premature to write the "Dear John" letter in America's love affair with the automobile. Indeed, earlier this year, The Washington Post wrote that has simply evolved into a "more placid coexistence rooted more in need than pleasure."



Complicating things is the nation's sluggish recovery from the worst recession since the Great Depression. In many cases, people who want to drive just can't afford it right now.

People are still buying cars. Nationally, new sales in August are expected to climb 17 percent over the same month a year ago. Car-sharing is also growing in popularity.

With higher fuel prices, Northwest motorists spent a record $22 billion on petroleum in 2011, the Sightline study says.

The study's authors also downplayed the role of improved gas-mileage in the decline in consumption. "Despite higher fuel economy standards, the real-world MPG of the US fleet has only risen risen slightly over the last ten years," Sightline said.

What do you think" Is the Sightline report on the money? Are you driving significantly less you were a decade ago?

-- Joseph Rose

