Gasoline prices may be falling but that has not prompted US citizens to get back in their cars. Indeed, they are driving fewer miles in an effort to save money.

According to data from the Federal Highway Administration, the number of miles logged by motorists fell by 4.4 per cent in September.

Experts claim the figures show that consumers - many of whom already face debt problems - are responding to the recession by cutting back.

Fred Milch, division planner for the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, said: "With the unemployment rate going up, people are just not driving. They just don't have the money to go on leisure trips and don't have money to go shopping."

Average gas prices recently fell below $2 a gallon for the first time since March 2005, according to figures from the Energy Department and AAA. In July they reached a peak of $4 a gallon.

Yet driving habits have not changed in recent months and consumers are still choosing to avoid unnecessary journeys, perhaps because they have realized the benefits of having extra money available to pay off debt and meet other daily living costs.

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