Survey: High gas prices are changing driving habits

Americans are making "lasting changes" in their driving patterns following two-and-a-half years of record gas prices, the NPD Group Inc. reported today.

The NPD Group is a global provider of consumer and retail market research with headquarters in Port Washington, N.Y.

The NPD Group said it surveyed 43,000 drivers and found that 12 percent of respondents have indicated that they have cancelled their vacation plans as a result of higher gas prices; another 12 percent told the firm that they are now car-pooling.

With the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas heading over the $4 mark, some consumers are either changing jobs to work closer to home or are moving closer to work, and still others are choosing to take public transportation, NPD said.

“Gasoline prices reached inflation adjusted highs in the fall of 2005, which is different than previous gas price spikes when gas was still relatively inexpensive,” David Portalatin, director of industry analysis for NPD Group's automotive division, said in a statement. “The longevity and degree to which gasoline prices have surpassed inflation adjusted highs have caused people to make significant, long-term changes to deal with high gasoline prices.”

AAA is expected to release results of its weekly survey on gasoline prices, including a survey for Massachusetts, later this morning.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)