Everyone seems to be groaning about high gas prices lately.  Sure, it can be painful to spend $50-$100 to fill up a car with gas, but there are some big benefits from these high prices.

First and foremost, high gas prices have caused traffic and congestion to decrease.  AAA predicts that for the first time since 9/11, there will be an annual decline in people choosing to travel this summer.  Of course, that decline is only supposed to be 1% from last year, but it’s a start.  Personally, in the DC area this year over this Memorial Day weekend, I’ve noticed traffic has been extremely subdued.  Normally, driving during this weekend his hectic, but this year has been fantastic.  So, on the one hand, people are paying more for gas, but at the same time, they’re getting a much better driving experience with clear roads.  Why is this happening?  It’s Econ 101: travel is less satisfying to people when it costs more, so people will choose a different activity that they find more satisfying.

Additionally, more people are trading in their gas guzzlers for small cars.  This not only means a more pleasant experience on the road for people in smaller cars, who now have better visibility and fewer blinding headlights at head level at night, but the roads are safer for all drivers because there are fewer large cars.

Obviously, there are also some great environmental impacts of high gas prices.  With smaller cars and fewer people driving, that means fewer total emissions.  So for those of you concerned about climate change or other types of pollution caused by burning gas, this is great.

Finally, high gas prices, if they persist long enough, can “spark” useful alternatives to the internal combustion engine.  For instance, a Norwegian automaker is supposed to start selling electric cars in the United States in 2009.  If gas prices are high enough, more and more people might be willing to switch to electric cars, despite the inconveniences of the young electric car technology, which will be able to develop if enough consumers buy into the technology.  As I’ve mentioned before, electric cars have a plethora of benefits over the internal combustion engine.

Although in the short term, it sucks to pay a lot for gas, these high prices are not all that bad.  High gas prices mean less congestion, safer roads, a cleaner environment, and the potential for a much better, electric-driven car in the future.

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