Pain at the pump
Gas prices tick upward, nearing $5 a gallon
Pain at the pump is continuing across Pennsylvania and the country.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania jumped to $4.69 on Thursday, according to AAA, up from $4.18 this time last month.
That represents an increase of about $1.57 per gallon since the start of the war in Iran on Feb. 28, when Pennsylvanians were paying $3.12 a gallon.
鈥淎ll eyes are on the price of crude oil right now,鈥� said Jim Garrity, director of public affairs for AAA East Central. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the majority of what you pay at the pump.鈥�
AAA says crude oil was trading at $91 per barrel on Wednesday 鈥� up from $60 to $70 a barrel before the Iran War started 鈥� which is driving the increase at the pump.
Pennsylvania鈥檚 average gas price also remains higher than the national average, which is currently $4.55 per gallon.
Gas prices haven鈥檛 just jumped 鈥� they鈥檝e risen almost daily in recent weeks, a pattern that has pushed costs higher for drivers as they head into the summer travel season.
Gas prices remain higher than any time since the spring and summer of 2022, when gas surpassed $5 per gallon 鈥� about $5.07 in Southwestern Pennsylvania 鈥� due to Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine and the tail-end of COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.
In the two months since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran, Americans have spent a combined $24 billion more on gasoline, according to the mobile app GasBuddy, which helps drivers find the cheapest gas nearby.
Gas prices in Southwestern Pennsylvania remain among the highest in the state, with an average gallon of gas costing $4.64 in Greene County, $4.71 in Fayette County, and $4.73 in Washington County. The price at the pump at some Washington County gas stations hit $4.94 a gallon on Thursday.
Pennsylvania also has the fourth-highest gasoline tax in the nation, at 57.6 cents per gallon, and the highest diesel fuel tax at 74.1 cents a gallon.
Garrity said AAA has been fielding calls about electric and hybrid vehicles since prices have spiked.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad I drive a hybrid,鈥� said Julie Naviaux of Slippery Rock, who was filling up her Toyota RAV 4 at an area Sheetz, where a gallon of unleaded gas cost $4.94.
AAA offers tips drivers can use to offset high gas prices.
One of the biggest, said Garrity, is to slow down and drive the speed limit. On the highway, fuel economy drops significantly as speeds increase above 50 mph.
鈥淢ake sure you slow down. The faster you go, the less efficiently your vehicle鈥檚 going to burn fuel,鈥� said Garrity.
Other tips: Keep tires properly inflated; combine errands into one trip and travel during off鈥憄eak times when possible; and avoid 鈥渏ackrabbit鈥� starts and hard acceleration.