Commuters for a "slug line" on 14th Street NW near New York Avenue. This Washington innovation provides "slugs" with a ride home and enables drivers to qualify for HOV lanes.

Shellie Saffel of South Riding drives a GMC Yukon Denali for her five-minute commute back and forth to work and uses the truck for weekend errands and the occasional home improvement haul. Her husband, Guy Saffel, wants to trade the truck for a Honda Civic because he's "sick of paying for 12 miles-per-gallon."

Shellie Saffel walks the family dog, Riggo, outside the family's 6,000-square-foot home in South Riding. The suburban ideal of a big house, big lawn and big vehicle is under attack from rising gas prices.