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European gas prices outdo America

When Guy Colombier pulls his economy car up to a Paris pump, he allows himself just 15 Euros ($18) worth of gas - barely enough for three gallons. "Since prices started rising rapidly earlier this year," says Mr. Colombier, a printing press worker, "I drive a lot more slowly ... and I`m looking for a place to live closer to where I work."

Colombier`s pain is shared by drivers all over Europe, where fuel prices are the highest in the world: a gallon of gas in Amsterdam now costs $7.13, compared with just $2.61 in America. The contrast in prices and environmental policies - and the dramatically different behaviors they inspire - signals a widening transatlantic energy gap. And it raises the question: Does Europe offer America a glimpse of its future? Indeed, while Europeans have learned to cope with expensive fuel (mostly due to taxes), there`s scant evidence yet that US drivers are adopting their conservation tactics.

Environmentalists wonder whether the current price spike in gas prices might lead to a lasting change in US behavior. "The exciting thing now is that we are almost at the real high point of prices in 1981," says one analyst "We`ll see if American manufacturers, authorities, and drivers realize that these prices may now be locked in."

"Sales of big SUVs have been dropping in the last few months," points out another observer. "We are now at the point where people believe this is real and they are reacting. The longer it goes on, the more they will react."