• New car label tells consumers which cars are cleanest

Beginning Jan. 1, 2009, all new cars sold in California will carry a label that informs consumers of the state's assessment of the vehicle's environmental impact, according to the California Air Resources Board. Labels will provide two scores on a 1-10 scale: a smog score and a global warming score. The average new car will score a five on both scales—the higher the score, the less impact the car has on the environment.

 • What's the worst day for traffic?

  According to a national survey by a firm in Kirkland, WA (which studied traffic times via a GPS system):
• Worst traffic day: Friday
• Worst weekday commute: Friday evening
• Worst commuting hour: Friday, 5 to 6 p.m.
• Worst morning commute: Wednesday
• Weekday with least traffic: Monday
• Best weekday commuting hour: Friday, 6 to 7 a.m.
• Best weekday afternoon: Monday

• Nine in 10 see rising gas prices causing family hardship

A recent Associated Press-Yahoo! news poll showed that 90% of those surveyed are expecting soaring gas prices to squeeze them financially over the next six months. Nearly half think that the hardship will be serious. To cope, most are driving less and finding ways to save money elsewhere, according to the poll. Half are cutting back on vacation plans; nearly as many are considering buying cars that burn less gas. Two-thirds say they consider gas prices an extremely important issue, almost as much as the economy and more than health care and Iraq as the country's most distressing problem. The poll has tracked the same 2,000 people since last fall to see how their views change during the presidential campaign.

• How long do you have to work for a tank of gas?

You may think about how much you have to drive to get to work—but how much do you have to work in order to drive? CNN offers a new online calculator that shows you how many hours you have to put in at the office to make enough money to pay for a tank of gas. Try it at cnn.com (or link from metrolinktrains.com).

• Get past issues of CommuteSmart News

CommuteSmart News regularly brings you new ideas for running your rideshare program—catch up on any issues you may have missed by clicking on the "Previous Issues" icon at the top of the newsletter's home page.