Like any addiction, America will have a hard time kicking its dependency on oil. But despite the withdrawal symptoms, it will be worth it. Time Magazine points out that prices have never risen to levels forcing the sprawling nation to seriously reconsider the car dependent way of life. But the time to change may have arrived.

Painful petrol prices, which probably won't go down anytime soon, could ultimately improve America's quality of life. Well, there are at least 10 things you can like about $4 gas, as featured in this week's Time.

  • Globalized Jobs Return Home — Too expensive to transport
  • Sprawl Stalls — Home buyers looking to move closer to cities
  • Four-Day Workweeks — Energy costs fall along with sick leave
  • Less Pollution — Bluer skies and longer lives

    • To see the rest, including how a smaller bank balance might lead to a smaller waistline, read more.

    • More Frugality — Vespa sales up, SUVs down
    • Fewer Traffic Deaths — $4 gas means 1,000 fewer deaths per month
    • Cheaper Insurance — For the "pleasure driver"
    • Less Traffic — Road travel down 2.1 percent this year
    • More Cops on the Beat — Out of the patrol car
    • Less Obesity — $1 hike could cut obesity by 10 percent

      • Sounds like the market may be doing Americans a favor! Fewer traffic deaths and a four day work week sound like the best "perks" to me. What about you? What do higher gas prices have you looking forward to, if anything?

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