Autotrader.com surveyed 432 random visitors to their site and found - surprise! - some trends that are a direct consequence of high gas prices: 73 percent of these visitors said that high gas prices will impact their summer driving, causing them to drive less. According to Autotrader, that means that Americans will seek vacation and recreation options closer to home, which of course will affect the tourist industry. They will use more mass transit options for commuting to work, which will affect current public transport systems. Finally, this means that they will cut back on shopping and seek out for one-stop shopping, which will affect retail. Surpsring? No, but it shows the wide impact that $4/gallons of gas.

[Source: Autotrader.com]

How are gas prices affecting you personally? If you drive an SUV every day, your fuel bill is surely putting a crimp in your pocketbook. Even if you drive a vehicle which gets high fuel mileage, we imagine that you're still quite cognizant of your driving habits. Do you carpool to work or when dropping your kids off at school? Do you walk or ride your bike to places that you used to drive to? These questions are important, both to your fellow readers and to car manufacturers. To prove that point, Jon F. Thompson from Toyota's Corporate Communications has posted a new entry on Toyota's Open Road Blog, asking readers to comment on what changes they've personally made, if any.

Perusing the comments, it's easy to see that fuel prices are causing drivers, no matter how efficient their vehicle is, to change their habits. If you've ever wanted to talk to somebody at a major car company about its fuel efficient options, here's your chance to do it.

[Source: Toyota Open Road Blog]