Auto-Carrier.com

Well it has finally happened. We aren’t transporting ourselves from place to place. The reasons why are obvious: gas prices, and a general lack of liquid assets. What people fail to realize is how much driving is a part of our economy. Think about it, how close are the places you really want to go? How do you get to other states? It always amazes me that people in Europe can go from country to country like it was no big thing. That is an impossibility here. We, as a nation, have too much urban sprawl. We are spread so thin that we have to drive hours to get places. Reuters is reporting that:

Americans appear to be cutting down on day-to-day travel as well. Since last November, U.S. drivers have driven 53.2 billion fewer miles than they did during the same period the previous year, a drop in driving larger than that seen during the 1970s oil crisis.

The impact of this recent lack of driving will reverberate through the economy. If people aren’t driving places they aren’t buying gas for one thing. The next hit to the economy (not that gas companies are hurting for business) will be to all those businesses that depend on customers coming by car. Think of all the small towns that depend on the traffic that comes off the interstate to visit, and shop. The only difference is that all businesses will start to suffer those same effects if no one wants to drive anywhere.