In my most recent column I say it will happen - but at a painfully slow rate.
I wrote the majority of Deforest City drivers (51 per cent) won’t let anyone else near their car on a regular basis until the price of fuel hits $3.15 per litre.
Not only did I scientifically and mathematically proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt (in my humble yet brilliant opinion), I briefly mentioned the three main reasons why we change so slowly to beneficial driving habits.
I’d like to expand on one of the reasons here.
When I said many folks spend extra money on a fat list of various goodies and will shed some of those items (kicking and screaming at times) long before they carpool I meant some of the following things:
Some folks will give up 2 - 3 helpings of street meat per week in order to afford the higher cost of a fill up when gas hits $1.50. (I know I’m right).
When gas passes $1.75 a few others will play less golf, drop bowling from their schedule, cut out movie night or say “I pass” on the latest designer jeans and try to squeeze into last year’s model for another season.
Will more people carpool at $2.00 a litre?
[Click here to see photo in context]
Not very many.
People will hold yard sales, raise the a/c two degrees, not buy a third big screen TV, drop newspaper delivery, return to Basic Cable, take in a boarder, BBQ a few less times per week, eat less beef (more chicken), buy more lottery tickets, postpone new roof shingles for one more year or buy cheaper paint for the basement walls.
But the majority won’t carpool until gas hits $3.15. [However, it will happen faster than we think.]
What will you give up before you carpool?
2 comments:
People generally don't pay much attention to expenses until they're visible and significant. Relatively low energy costs over the past generation or so have lulled us into a state where we pretty much ignore the energy consumption of everything from our cars to our homes and beyond.
Such behaviours will take quite some time to undo, even with gas hovering close to $1.30/litre. The sad truth is that even at this level, it still isn't painful for the majority of motorists: they whine when they fill up, but they don't materially change the way they drive.
Ultimately, this kind of thing is good for us, as it forces us to finally get real when it comes to energy consumption and the life choices that affect it. We didn't learn our lesson during the first energy crisis in the 70s - and now we deservedly pay the price. Perhaps now the message will finally begin to sink in.
I agree with your comments, carmi.
as costs grow more "visible and significant" our blinders will come off and more restraint will be shown.
Recently I've heard we now need to reduce carbon emissions by 90 per cent (IPCC, George Monbiot).
the rising price of fuel and food will "force us to get real...deservedly" as you say and perhaps practicing restraint in those areas will help us do the same in many others.
gh
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