Katie Couric's Notebook: Driven To Conserve
Video: A big part of President Bush's State of the Union speech was his proposal to cut gas consumption by 20% in 10 years.
But we may already be getting a jump on that. Researchers say that, for the first time in 25 years, Americans are driving less. Ridership is UP on subways and buses all over the country. Experts point to a number of reasons for it. Some of that is because of higher fuel prices. We're also getting older, and not commuting as much -- 14% of U.S. drivers are over the age of 65...nearly double the number in 1980.
William Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, says a "fundamental shift is going on" -- and people are continuing to curb their enthusiasm for driving, even after gas prices have dropped.
It'll take years to break our addiction to oil. But maybe we're on the road to recovery...or at least, looking for the off-ramp.
That's a page from my notebook.