According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there continues to be a decline in the amount of miles driven by Americans.  In fact, in comparison to June of 2007, motorists in America drove 12.2 billion less miles in June of this year, which is a 4.7% decline.

Realize, however, that the Department of Transportation has tracked motorists’ mileage only through June 30th, and fuel prices didn’t hit their peak until July 17th, when they hit $4.11 a gallon.  Now that the fuel prices have fallen, it is to be determined whether these new driving habits will be abandoned, or if the gas spike during the summer will be representative of a change in American driving that will be more permanent.

It is also important to remember that the peak-driving season is in the summer.  People take family vacations, take weekend road trips and get in their car more often than they normally would. In fact, there are more roadside assistance calls in summer months than the rest of the year.  It could be that motorists will continue skimping on car travel that is unnecessary, or if fuel prices keep declining, the 2008 summer may just turn into an unpleasant memory that people will soon forget.