Isaac, Labor Day weekend create perfect storm to spike gas prices
News 12 First at Five / Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A perfect storm is coming together to raise gas prices as Isaac stops much of the oil production in the Gulf and Labor Day waits just around the corner.
Very different than what we saw right before the Fourth of July holiday, and people say they are feeling it in their wallets.
"My wallet, that's why I keep it here, because the cost of gas is so bad, it kept biting me in the backside! And I got tired of being nipped back there," said a frustrated John Sherwood Jones.
It's a familiar pain to drivers around the area as gas prices continue to climb.
"It has gone up in the range of 10 cents, but they're expecting it to continue to rise," explained C&C Automotive's Aaron Clements. "No doubt they're pushing toward the $4 range."
Since Tuesday, the price of a gallon of gas rose 7 cents to $3.57 in South Carolina. It rose nearly 8 cents in Georgia, making the average gallon now a whopping $3.80.
That's money people could be spending on other things.
"I don't have as much money to spend on the grandchildren as I would like," said gas customer Ann Sawyer.
"If you're not on welfare, you make say, $25,000 a year, you're having to decide between the cost of food and the cost of gas," Sherwood Jones said.
If you live in South Carolina, you're one of the lucky ones. Coming in more than 20 cents cheaper than the national average, South Carolina is the third cheapest state to buy gas, followed only by Colorado and New Mexico.
"I think a lot of factors are working in our favor to keep our prices a little bit lower, but I don't care how we sugar coat it, it's still high," Clements said.
Jones plainly states that "people just can not afford $4 a gallon."
While the holiday is affecting the price a little, AAA says the key to prices dropping will be how fast Isaac moves out of the Gulf. Until then, it'll cost you more to get away this weekend.
"If they do, it's gonna be like the Beatles song. 'I'll hit the street and you'll tax my feet 'cause I'm the tax man, whoa, I'm the tax man,'" Jones sang.
If you do plan to travel this weekend, Clements says there are many ways to conserve fuel.
He says keeping your car maintained, planning your trip so you don't do a lot of unnecessary driving around and avoiding aggressive driving all play a huge part in getting better gas mileage.
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Copyright WRDW-TV News 12. All rights reserved. This material may not be republished without express written permission.
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