According to CNBC …
Driving in the U.S. reached a peak in 2004 and has been declining steadily ever since.
Apparently, high gas prices have registered in the American psyche and spurred some fundamental changes …
1. More tele-working from home … Yahoo excluded
2. Re-urbanization … Detroit excluded
3. More public transportation … in metro areas, that is
4. Aging population … seniors drive less (whew !)
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While these shifts have lightened the road congestion (DC excluded) … they pose some new challenges:
1. Long-run auto sales … fewer miles mean cars last longer; fewer car owners mean, well, fewer cars bought.
2. Gas taxes … how to fund infrastructure upgrades if less gas is being bought?
3. Male identities … male egos are tied to sports & cars … what happens when you take one of those away?
Pssst: I made that last one up
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July 30, 2013 at 1:06 pm |
Does this say that Americans are really driving less as a nation, or that there are just more drivers? Less per person but I wonder if that does not still mean that there are more cars on the road. It sure seems there are.