One great benefit to the high gas prices is there are fewer drivers on the roads and more passengers on Metro.

The transit system's ridership has skyrocketed and even though traffic is always lighter in August, summer just seems too good to be true. Riders made more than 21 million rail trips, two million more than the previous record, which was set in June 2008. The transit system averaged 811,559 rail riders per weekday. That's an average of 13,000 more riders than in June. 

Cab driver John Abolzadeh drives over 100,000 miles a year throughout the area and he says he's definitely noticed traffic has been lighter. He says the roads are wide open, "This is the slowest August as far as the traffic's concerned!"

AAA Mid-Atlantic agrees. Their spokesman says he can't recall a summer when traffic's been lighter. 

Rush hour has been a lot easier for Alexandria (web|news) resident Cliff Bernier. He claims his commute time has cut down dramatically, "Instead of 40 minutes to an hour, it's 20, 25. It's not too crowded!"

A poll from AAA shows the struggling economy and high gas prices has fewer people taking vacations, meaning there should be more drivers on the road this summer, but it's just the opposite. Many residents are riding Metro.  

The transit system racked up eight of its top ten ridership days in July, including the new record, 854,638 passenger trips on Friday, July 11

"My car is parked. I have a car and I haven't driven it since probably July," said Southeast resident Larry King. 

But there are still some commuters seeing a sea of taillights on the road. "[Interstate] 66 doesn't seem to be better than any other time," said one commuter.

AAA says the lighter traffic on the roads can also be attributed to more people carpooling and telecommuting.