It's more insidious than that. All of Europe's governments decided years ago to tax fuel into oblivion. It wasn't just to make money (although they do spend it), it's to force people to conserve. The taxation levels are so ridiculous it has to be that.
I don't really know why they wanted to do that. I imagine it's because they have few oil resources, and they were smart enough to see the national security cost of being dependent on imported fuel. That's just me making it up. I'd love to know the politics that went into that. If anybody knows about that, please post it up.
In the US, we're very egalitarian-minded. A scheme to increase gasoline prices would cause people to conserve, but not in an egalitarian way. The poor would conserve most, because they couldn't afford it. Rich folks would go right on driving 12 mpg vehicles they drive now. Stuff like that doesn't seem right in the US, so we may never do it.
Really, rationing seems pretty good by comparison. If we all conserve by choice, that's even better. When Americans seriously conserve, the price of oil will plummet.