The San Diego freeways are noticably less crowded than a year ago. Since I’ve been back, I have driven at different times of the day (during rush hours, during lunch) and on different freeways (5, 15, 52, 56, 78) and haven’t run into congestion anywhere.
At first, I thought that I just may be getting lucky. Then I thought that maybe I just hadn’t remembered traffic patterns correctly. But now I’m convinced that high gas prices have forced different driving habits among the lower class and much of the middle class.
That said, the evidence I use to support my claim is purely anecdotal, not scientific. So maybe I’m wrong, but I also assess that there are mostly high-end (more expensive) cars on the road. Could it be that only the wealthy people can afford to drive in SoCal with +4 dollars-a-gallon gas?
Regardless, I’m ok with it. MiniLee got 32mpg at 75mph average all the way down from Seattle. Those results aren’t as good as a TDI or hybrid, but it’s not too shabby either!