Star Tribune (MN): Will we put the pedal to the metal again?

"We're right in the middle of a major change in people's driving habits. We don't know if it's going to stick," said Frank Pafko, director of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's office of environmental services.

Dawn Duffy, spokeswoman for AAA Minneapolis, believes larger economic pressures will keep driving mileage down, even with cheaper gas.

"When gas was averaging $2.50, we wondered: Is that going to change people's habits? It did not," she said. "When it finally went over $4 this summer, it changed our habits, and those habits have continued. People don't have that disposable income."

I think the U.S. is likely to see reduced consumption for oil as the black hole of capitalism sucks more and more money. Even though the price of gas is down, fewer Americans can afford to drive like they did even a year ago.