Over the past few months, I have paralleled the increasing cost of fuel with tips on how you can reduce the amount you spend on fuel. In addition, I have begun riding my bike to work when the weather allows to save myself money and reduce my carbon footprint.

If you follow the news, I’m sure that you’ve heard about the rise in sales of locking gas caps as people try to fend off fuel thieves. Perhaps you’ve heard friends and family venting about the cost of fuel. Heck, maybe you’ve even received one of those email forwards that calls for everyone to boycott the large oil companies by not buying fuel for a day.

I’ve heard it and seen it all, too.

However, it is my contention that a large majority of people don’t care how much fuel costs. They just like to complain.

On the days I do drive to work, I drive about eight miles per hour slower than I normally would. This puts my speed right around 62 miles per hour. Reducing my speed has improved my car’s gas mileage by about nine miles per gallon. The reduction in speed has also made it apparent how fast everyone else is going. Not to mention how many people drive alone in big SUVs.

Parking lots are also a great place to witness how little people care about the cost of fuel. My wife and I were leaving the grocery store the other day, and as we got to our car we noticed a car idling in the parking lot. Someone was sitting inside, talking on a cell phone. People don’t care.

If people cared about the cost of fuel, they would do something about it. Instead, they do as they always have done.

Perhaps the area I live in is different from what people in other parts of the country are doing. How about it? Has the rising price of gas caused a difference in the driving habits of people in your area?

Tags: fuel costs, fuel economy, gas mileage, improve fuel mileage, price of gas, rising fuel costs