“After surviving $4-a-gallon gasoline in 2008, consumers have gradually begun to return to normal driving behaviors, but any sustained price increase over $3 a gallon would likely cause these numbers to start trending back in the other direction,” says David Portalatin, a motor fuels analyst with The NPD Group. “Sustained gas price increases over the next month could cause some to reconsider winter holiday driving travel.”
NPD’s motor fuels market research, which continually tracks consumer motor fuel purchasing behaviors and attitudes, finds that at the $3 a gallon mark consumers begin making short-term adjustments to their driving behaviors by driving less, idling less, driving slower and carpooling.
Are the gas prices affecting your holiday driving plans? Let us know in the comments.
