Car travel

Art Kinsman, AAA director of governmental affairs, says that the economy will be a bigger determining factor than the price of gas in whether Americans will drive more. This summer gas prices hit a record, but drivers were feeling more economically secure so car travel fell by a scant one to two percentage points over 2007. Over Thanksgiving, fuel prices had fallen nearly 70 percent from July, but economic worries surged and travel fell for the first time since 2002 when the nation was still reeling from 9/11. “When people plan a weekend away it isn’t just about the cost of gas,’’ Kinsman said. “It’s about hotels and meals. If people are worried about their jobs they don’t travel.’’