Running on Fumes
June 2nd, 2008 | by Mike G |
It was a run of synchronicity today as I filled up the tank of my car with more than $60 of gasoline. I got back into my car, twittered my mileage information to FuelFrog and listened to a brief story from the Associated Press on NPR about a trend for motorists to more frequently run out of fuel on the highway now that gas prices are hovering around $4 a gallon.
There are no real numbers tracked for out-of-gas drivers, but AAA has noted a 15% year-over-year increase in calls for roadside assistance. Additionally, calls from people short on gas in the Philadelphia area to AAA doubled between May 2007 and May 2008 from 81 to 161.
I’m just slightly too young to remember the oil embargo of the 1970s, but I wonder if stranded drivers increased in ranks at that time as well?
AA Mid-Atlantic points out that trying to save money in the short term by perpetually driving with a very low tank can cause damage to the fuel pump in the car, resulting in damage that would make gas at $4 a gallon seem like a relative bargain.
Photo: Scott Ingram Photography
