I traveled over this Memorial Day weekend, and at pretty much any point in the past, it’d be a safe bet to say that most of you did, too.

 But information from the Department of Transportation reveals that Americans are driving 11 billion fewer miles compared to the previous year—and that’s just the data for March, when gas was averaging 70 cents less per gallon than it is today.

 That’s a decline of 4.3 percent over the previous year, and the biggest decline since 1942. I’d like to say it’s a result of the nation boldly coming together to confront a challenge, as it was back in the 40s, but 1942 simply marks the first year that the DOT recorded data.

With gas now just a hair under the previously unthinkable $4 mark, the summer of 2008 could be one of the most painful yet for cash-strapped consumers—but if you consider the impressive environmental benefits, it might just be worth the pinch at the pump.