As gas goes up, driving goes down

Summary

March figures show steepest decline in driving since 1942

Compared with last year, drivers have logged 11 billion fewer miles, the DOT says

Americans planned to drive less over Memorial Day weekend, AAA reports

Public transportation ridership on rise, in part because of gas prices, group

At a time when gas prices are at an all-time high, Americans have curtailed their driving at a tremendous rate.

Americans are not driving as much as they did a year ago as gas prices explode.

The Department of Transportation said figures from March show the steepest decrease in driving ever recorded.

Compared with March a year earlier, Americans drove an estimated 4.3 percent less , that's 11 billion fewer miles, the DOT's Federal Highway Administration said Monday, calling it "the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history." Records have been kept since 1942.

According to AAA, Americans said they were planning to drive less over the Memorial Day weekend than they did the year before.

Some people decided to camp out in the backyard and enjoy their camp in their backyard, while others share a ride with their friends instead of riding on their own vehicle.

According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose to a record $3.936. That compares with an average price per gallon of $3.23 last Memorial Day.

With the price near $4 a gallon, people decreased their speed and start their engines only when they are about to set off.

Some Americans have turned to public transportation. Ridership increased by 2.1 percent in 2007, in part because of rising gas prices, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

Americans took 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, the highest level in 50 years,

The Energy Information Administration says gas consumption for the first three months of 2008 is estimated to be down about 0.6 percent from the same time period in 2007.