At the peak of the gas prices, I managed to change my driving and got to squeeze an extra 30-50 miles from each tank. Not bad.
Now gas is cheaper than it has been in a long time. I am proud to report that I am still squeezing most of those extra miles from each tank (actually, it is more like 20-30 now, but still an improvement).
Did you ever change your driving to get more mileage when gas was sky-high? Are you still driving like that now that gas is cheap?
I always, well, mostly, drive “green” or “Hypermile”, I did it when gas was $1.50/Gal, and I sure as heck did it in the $4/Gal days, two reasons…
1; I’m a stingy, cheap bugger
2; petroleum is a finite resource, and will eventually run out, I’m simply trying to minimize my “dollars per mile” figure, the less I spend on gas is more money I can save/spend on other stuff
The best way to conserve fuel is to simply drive less.
Anyway, when gas prices spiked this summer, I started car pooling. I’m happy to say that my car pool is still going strong.
We didn’t so much change our driving as much as we bought a hybrid 
On a bad day it gets twice the MPG of our Ranger, so we’ve been driving it pretty much exclusively since we bought it.
Since there’s a monitor showing the energy flow, I do try and take advantage of the ability of the car to coast for a good distance with zero energy flow (nothing powering the wheels, brakes not regenerating). I think I get a bit better MPG than Owls though, as I’m a bit more cautious in my driving.
I’m riding my bike less these days, but that’s mostly because my gear is suited for riding in warm weather. It’s too cold to ride to work in the mornings. That the price dropped at the same time is a happy coincidence.
Substitute “work” for “class” and you’ve posted exactly what I wanted to write. It’s too damned cold to bike, and Alabama doesn’t stay cold long enough to justify true winterwear.
I have always driven in a manner to try and get the most mileage. I also buy the most fuel efficient car I can find.
I’ve managed to find another job where I don’t have to drive to work (I take the bus, and sometimes walk home). I’d have to be in really desperate financial straits to take a job with a commute like I had this time last year, where it sometimes took me an hour to drive home in traffic.
I haven’t changed my driving. I drive the same way I always have. I really don’t need to drive all that much though, so the effect of gas prices on me is pretty minimal.
Chose new economy car (Nissan Versa) for that very reason.
This.
For me it’s yes and no. I still telecommute and when I drive to the office I almost always drive the MINI.
The ‘no’ part is that I also got an awesome deal on a full size pickup and that enabled me to replace my old truck. The new truck has been getting a little more use then the old truck did. This is more because it’s a new toy and less because of gas pricing, although cheap gas has been fortuitous.
So how do I put this? I drive the new truck more often the I did the old truck but that’s more because it’s new and it’s mostly inconsequential because I telecommute and when I do really commute I drive the MINI.
I always drive “green”, always have. I have never commuted to work by car. A year and a half ago I sold a 17 year old Honda Civic with about 65,000 miles and the replacement, a Honda Fit, now has around 4500 miles, most of it because I made 4 round trips of 750 miles each this fall on account of serious illness in my daughter-in-law’s family. After the last one, I filled the tank and commented to my wife that I probably wouldn’t buy gas now till March (we will be in warmer climes for three weeks in February–yes, by air so I am not completely green).
I did not change my habits when gasoline was $5.00 or $1.50 a gallon. I spend so little on gasoline that it’s in the noise of the budget. In honesty, gasoline would probably have to break $20 a gallon before I would change my driving habits.
Absolutely. We have also made some very minor improvements on this front. I do all my errands when I do the school/work run. Rarely go out just for errands anymore.
Not round here it isn’t. It’s still astoundingly expensive - 90p / litre. Of course, this is largely due to government tax and duty.
Still biking to work every day. Cold weather is nature’s way of saying pedal faster.
My commute is the same no matter the price of gas–down 1 flight of stairs. The spouse, on the other hand, has been recently driving the pickup truck to work in the Cities, but that has nothing to do with gas prices and everything to do with snow. The little Saturn (with 230K miles on the odometer) is not really a winter car. On the days when we have dry pavement, he drives the Saturn, but that isn’t really a new phenomenon.
Gas is a small part of my budget. I drive like I always have.
I have noticed that there are more people moving at my preferred speed these days, though. Over the summer, everyone was doing 75, and I was constantly trying to figure out how to get around the dolt in front of me so I could speed up.
In the past month or so though, it’s been pretty common to find someone doing 85 and just settle in behind them.
When gas prices went up, I started carpooling with a workmate once or twice a week. It’s harder to do more than that, because schedules are so unpredictable. We still carpool now, even though prices have come down. As long as it’s only once or twice a week, we don’t get annoyed with each other.
I take the bus. I don’t know if the drivers are changing their habits or not. I’ll ask one this evening. I can guarantee he will look at me funny. 