Record Gas Prices Prompt Americans To Change Plans: AAA

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Another day of surging gas prices. In the Hudson Valley, the average price at the pump Thursday ranges from a low of $4.46 in Ulster County to a high of $4.60 in Westchester County, AAA said.

The national average is $4.32, with the New York average $4.47.

Drivers are starting to alter their plans.

A survey by AAA indicates the majority of people will make changes to their amount of driving.

Nearly 60 percent of the respondents said they would adjust driving habits or lifestyles if gas prices topped $4 a gallon.

If prices reached $5, as many as 75 percent of those surveyed said they would cut back on driving.

Among Americans who said they would make changes because of rising gas prices, 80 percent said they would opt to drive less.

There were some differences between age groups, with 18- to 34-year-olds almost three times likely as those 35 and over to consider carpooling — 29 percent vs. 11 percent.

Those 35 and up are more likely to combine trips and errands — 68 percent vs. 52 percent — and reduce shopping or dining out — 53 percent vs. 43 percent.

With summer coming up, more than half — 52 percent — of Americans said they have plans to travel, and of those, 42 percent said they would not make changes to their travel plans no matter what the price of gas.