Business: Easing Up on the Pedal

While awaiting Detroit's new fuel-efficient cars, American drivers are already hitting the brakes on gasoline consumption. Gas sales have declined nationwide so far this year, by more than 12% in some states, and the use of car pools and public transportation is up almost everywhere. In Michigan, state police were rationed a single tankful per week for chasing speeders, until the legislature gave them emergency funds last week to buy more gas. In rural Iowa, where energy experts once insisted that gasoline was as vital as corn, gas consumption fell 12.3% in the...