The rising price of gas has rattled family budgets and forced many to modify their driving habits.

According to statistics from the Hawaii Department of Taxation, the pain at the pump has resulted in a net drop in gasoline usage.

In the first quarter of 2007, 125.4 million gallons of gas was sold throughout Hawaii. Through the same time period this year, gas usage has dropped 21 million gallons to a total of 104.4 million.

North Shore resident Brent Copper, a computer aided drafting and design technician who works next to the Ala Moana Shopping Center, is among those who have changed driving routines as the average price of gas in Hawaii reaches nearly $4 a gallon.

“I've been thinking before I get in the car and just drive anywhere,” said Copper, who spends an average of $300 a month on his fuel bill. “If I can get two things done in one trip, I do it.”

In a nationwide Gallup poll earlier this month, 84 percent of respondents said they were consolidating errands or taking other steps to cut back on daily driving. The poll of 1,017 adults was taken May 2–4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Copper, who also coaches his daughter’s soccer team, has noticed parents are more concerned then ever about sharing rides. “A lot of parents are talking to each other with driving the kids around (and) everybody is helping each other with carpooling.”

He also praises his boss at Moss Engineering for allowing him and other employees to telecommute, or work from home, as much as possible. “It allows me to save on gas and not be on the road every day. As long as the work gets done my boss is happy.”

“It's worked out extremely well for our staff to be able to work from home so they don't have to drive in here,” said Rick Moss, the company’s president.

And while the high cost of fuel is modifying driving habits, it’s also causing Hawaii residents to rethink their priorities when buying a car.

Wayne DeLuz, the president of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association says new car buyers are shifting to more gas sipping models, which account for 30 percent of all sales.

“It’s more (of a shift) to four cylinder models and hybrid models,” DeLuz said from Hilo. “You know something to reduce their fuel costs.”

Rick Ching, the executive vice president of auto dealer Servco Pacific Inc., says car buyers are trading in their larger SUV’s and trucks and asking more questions about miles per gallon.

“We’ve seen the trend towards entry level subcompacts and smaller SUV’s,” said Ching. “I think everyone feels that move is because of rising gas prices.”

Copper, the North Shore resident who commutes to his job in town, purchased a 4-cylinder Toyota Yaris two years ago. While he averages about 35 to 40 miles per gallons he’s hoping to squeeze even more out of his gas.

“I'm looking now for more electric (hybrids),” he said. “You know something more efficient because we really don't know where the gas is going to stop.”

Andrew may be reached at apereira@khon2.com or ph. 591-4263.