It’s no secret that the state of California is home to some of the most congested roads in the country — but it is also home to some of the greenest drivers according to a recent study by academics of the Transport Research Institute at the University of Michigan.
Reported by The Los Angeles Times earlier this week, the study shows that California has lead the way when it comes to reducing its total state-wide gasoline consumption, reducing the total number of oil barrels it takes to keep California’s 23.8 million licensed drivers within the state on the road.
While there are 1.8 million more drivers on California’s roads today than there were in back in 2002, cars in California consumed 3.5% less gasoline during the first six months of this year than they did for the first six months of 2002.
There are multiple reasons for this drop in gasoline consumption, but among the primary reasons are the high numbers of hybrid cars purchased in the state, as well as a healthy number of plug-in electric, biodiesel and compressed natural gas cars.
Golden Gate Bridge, connecting San Francisco and Marin County, California
But before Californians get too excited and self-congratulatory there’s another potential reason behind the drop in gas consumption: the high price of gasoline in the state, prompting many to leave their cars at home and seek alternative ways to commute to and from work.
If California is leading the way with a dramatic drop in gasoline consumption, Texas is the state which needs to work harder.
Dropping its gasoline consumption in the first six months of this year by a massive 7% when compared to last year, Texans are still consuming more than 7% more gasoline than they were in 2002.
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