HOUSTON, Texas —
The dog days of summer are around the corner and temperatures aren’t the only things going up.
"Gas prices," said driver Christopher Robin of Houston. "It's ridiculous.”
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas has risen 40 cents in a month in Houston.
"Everybody’s struggling with gas prices," said Robin. "The price of food has gone up, the prices of pretty much everything we experience on a daily basis has gone up.”
"Not long ago I could fill up for probably 55 or 60 dollars," said driver Freeman Utley. "Now, it might be 80. It’s crazy.”
Industry insiders say there may be no relief anytime soon in part to supply not keeping up with post-pandemic demand amid global crises that also have an impact.
"You know, we’re talking about, at a national level, $4.52 for a gallon of regular unleaded on average,” said AAA Texas spokesman Joshua Zuber.
AAA has a color-coded map on its website that shows you where Texas stands.
The price on Tuesday was $4.21 per gallon, on average.
But higher prices aren’t necessarily keeping people from hitting the road.
About 8% more are expected to do so over Memorial Day weekend.
"They may be traveling shorter distances," said Zuber. "But, overall, AAA is anticipating an increase in the number of people traveling for Memorial Day compared to last year."
And they’ll pay considerably more to get to where they’re going.
"It sucks," said driver Hunter Berecz. "But what am I going to do? Just not go anywhere?”
Remember 2008?
Adjusted for inflation, gas prices then are still higher than they are now. But that does little to ease the pain at the pump in 2022.
AAA gas price resources:
- The TripTik website allows you to plan your road trip by providing directions, maps and gas station stops.
- The gas cost calculator website takes your route and vehicle information, plus current gas prices into consideration.