Drivers May Have to Shift Gears

High gas prices are forcing some drivers to consider smaller cars and other economies. But old habits die slowly. (By Rich Pedroncelli -- Associated Press)

Will the upheaval in the Middle East and the latest spurt in oil prices finally tip gas-price-wary motorists into making wholesale changes in their driving habits?

Many drivers already have made small gestures toward saving money, such as checking online message boards for cheap gasoline stations and pumping regular gasoline instead of premium. Now some are doing more out of fear that high gas prices are here to stay. Some analysts say uncertainty over prices is pushing drivers toward a new attitude.

Predicting turning points in human behavior is notoriously unreliable, and analysts said that any strong movement would dissipate if oil prices fall. Driving habits and interest in alternative-fuel vehicles have fluctuated with the cost of gasoline in recent decades. But signs of change, by some measures, are evident.

For the first five months this year, U.S. gasoline consumption fell 0.8 percent from the comparable period in 2005, according to the American Petroleum Institute. The decline followed years of increases of 1.5 to 2 percent.

"Prices are significantly higher than they were last year, and they were already higher then," said Ronald J. Planting, an economist with the institute. "The effects are sinking in."

Analysts say that if high gas prices prompt a widespread movement toward fewer road trips and a migration away from large vehicles, the automotive landscape could undergo a radical makeover.

David Portalatin, an automotive analyst with NPD Group, sees big changes on the horizon -- if prices hold steady or rise further.

"We're at least on the threshold of some significant change in consumer behavior," he said. Those changes include the kind of cars people drive and where and how they live and work, he said. "Those are the kind of changes we really haven't seen since the late '70s and early '80s."

Yesterday, there were indications of change at gas stations in the region.

Fern Stalling, a real estate agent from Baltimore, has begin carpooling with her friends when they go out. She's cut back on trips to the beach, and tries to bundle appointments with her clients as much as possible. And after a summer of $3-a-gallon gas, Stalling is ready to give up her car -- a Chevrolet TrailBlazer that costs $55 to fill.

"I want a smaller car. . . . I'm definitely looking into doing that in the next three, four months," said Stalling, who carries a new credit card that she uses only at gas stations so she can better track her purchases. Her bill is $400 a month. "It's ridiculous. It's really hitting me in the pockets."

François Gentil, 45, of Cleveland Park, who was filling up near Stalling at a gas station at New York and Florida avenues, also said he was looking for a smaller car.