Gas Prices Soar Past $4 In Philadelphia Region For 1st Time Since 2008
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Sticker shock at the pump. Gas in the Philadelphia area jumped 14 cents overnight.
"Can't even afford to pay this," Hassan Abdul said. "You got to have it if you want to drive."
Drivers' hands are tied.
Gas prices in Philadelphia skyrocketed by 14 cents in just one day.
"It's gas. It's a free market," Tim McGrath said. "You can choose to pay for gas or you can figure out an alternative to gas and I drive to work every day."
AAA says the war in Ukraine is behind the sudden spike in prices.
The cost for a gallon of regular in the Philadelphia five-county region is $4.06. In Delaware, it's $3.89, and in South Jersey, it's $3.84.
Drivers say the price at the pump is stretching their other spending.
"Definitely changes how I do my other spending, grocery shopping," Robin Tucker said.
While gas prices are high, they haven't hit record territory yet, but AAA says that could happen in a matter of days.
"We are 10 cents away from the record high in our region," AAA spokesperson Jana Tidwell said. "Will we reach that? If crude oil continues to trade where it is, all roads point to yes. We will likely break that record in the coming day."
The record in the five-county Philadelphia region is $4:15, set back in the summer of 2008.
To save at the pump, AAA suggests performing regular maintenance, keeping tires properly inflated, driving the speed limit to improve gas mileage, don't accelerate or brake aggressively and consolidating trips.
AAA says gas prices will likely continue to go up in the coming weeks and months as gas stations switch over to the more expensive summer blend. Even if you don't drive, AAA says you will likely feel the pain.
"We'll start to see prices in grocery stores, drug stores, big box retailers increase because it has to be passed along to someone and unfortunately, it's going to be the consumer," Tidwell said.
If you suspect price gouging, AAA says to report the gas station to the attorney general.
