Driving is down in the U.S. and countries all over the world, according to a variety of studies. This piece from New Scientist looks into why the road is less traveled.
"What could be driving us off the road? Fuel costs and rising insurance premiums may be a factor. And urban gridlock, combined with an absence of parking places and congestion charging, makes the car a dumb way to move around in cities where there are public transport alternatives.
In the US, however, the decline of the car is most dramatic not in the gridlocked city centres but in the car-dependent suburbs. In sprawling cities like Atlanta and Houston where the automobile is king, driving is down by more than 10 per cent."
The economic situation in the U.S. may have a role in the shifting driving habits of Americans, but changing demographics and preferences are also contributing to the trend of fewer miles being driven.
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