A research group founded by a prominent peak-oil expert reports that the average American drove less in 2005 than the year before, the first time mileages dropped in the past 25 years.
The survey of driving comes from Daniel Yergin's Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Yergin hit the news earlier this year when he estimated that "peak oil," or the point where consumption exceeded production, was more than 25 years away.
CERA says the average American drove 13,657 miles in 2005, down slightly from 2004's 13,711 miles. The push downward is attributed to a variety of factors, most importantly the rise in gas prices in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina.
"Price matters," Yergin told Reuters.
Mileage also dropped because more elderly drivers are on the road and tend to drive fewer miles. The number of elderly drivers has doubled in the past 25 years, according to the survey.
The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded sits at about $2.25, down from more than $3 in the months after Katrina struck the Gulf coast in August 2005.
CERA adds that household fuel budgets remain at about 3.8 percent, not far from the historic low averages of 3.4 to 3.6 percent from the 1960s.
And in a correlation with sales data seen throughout the past two years, CERA concludes that sales of minivans and SUVs peaked in 2004, when 56 percent of all vehicles fell in those categories. The figure is 53 percent so far in 2006.
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