Jun 9, 2008 8:00 am US/Central
Changing Driving Habits To Cope With High Prices
The average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in the United States is now more than $4. In Minnesota, the average is $3.86, which is up 32 cents in the past month.
Skyrocketing oil prices are to blame. By July 4, some expect oil to sell for $150 a barrel. On Friday, oil hit a record $139 a barrel, through it had dropped slightly in early trading Monday.
That's driven many in Minnesota and western Wisconsin to change the way they drive or the way they fuel.
About 3 miles from Wisconsin is a gas station with a lot of red and white license plates.
"I never buy gas over there," one man said.
People don't want to pay an extra 10 cents a gallon in gas taxes in Wisconsin.
"If I can push it as much as I possibly can, I will," a woman said.
These are the kinds of changes people have made in the past few weeks to try to cope with high gasoline prices.
"Three eighty-seven is when I started not filling it up all the way," another woman said.
For another, the breaking point for change was $3. Another moved closer to where she worked.
"I definitely ride my bike a lot more," a man said.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation said we drove less in March, recording the largest drop in driving ever.
That was when gas was the seemingly-bargain price of about $3.25.
"Numbers are everything. Four dollars, I mean, we've never hit that before. That's crazy," a woman said.
In the past few months, Metro Transit decided to consider fare hikes. Dow Chemical, which makes detergents and diapers, increased prices by 20 percent and a lot of airfares have jumped by $200.
"I think it's going to continue to go up," a man said.
AAA said people are still planning to take their summer vacations. If you're driving to New York City, the price of a gallon of gasoline there is $4.35.
