When people find out that my job entails tracking US gasoline prices, they often ask, “Why are prices so high?” and “Are they going to continue to rise?” Many accept the explanations, but they still like to criticize oil companies for the high prices. This topic is much like talking about the weather; people just like to converse and voice their opinions. As much as they detest the high prices, consumers continue to dip into their pocketbooks and continue with their normal driving habits.How high will gasoline prices have to go before consumers modify their driving habits? Recent reports on gasoline consumption indicated that as prices have risen, demand has not sl...