AAA offers tips to save money at pump

By Andrea Meador

When it comes to rising gas prices, people have heard it all, from solutions such as changing the fuel source to ethanol or reducing the dependency on gas a little at a time by using hybrids. If one isn’t in the market for experimenting with these alternatives, AAA has some simple solutions that people can use every day in order to save more money at the gas pump.

“Why are gas prices continuously rising? That’s the million dollar question right there, but it’s really a matter of supply and demand,” AAA spokesperson Greg Beheler explained. “Industry is saying that refineries aren’t able to keep up with the demand that we have for gas.”

According to Beheler, there are many other factors that contribute into the trend of rising gas prices such as summer approaching as well as hurricane season, civil unrest in South America, and an ongoing war.

“All of the elements are there to make it a trend that will go on throughout the summer,” he said. “Paying $4 per gallon won’t be out of the question.”

His first piece of advice for saving money is to consolidate trips and to keep the car maintained. Something like tire pressure, which Beheler said is often neglected, can make a drastic impact on the car. He mentioned other tactics that the average person can use to save money.

“For every five mph that you go over 60, you add 20 cents a gallon,” he explained. “Jackrabbit starts, sudden stops, and any extra weight added to the car will effect the gas consumption. That’s why it’s important to not leave things in the car like six pound bags of mulch.”

With the approaching summer, vacation is on the mind for many people but will this increase effect peoples’ plans? Beheler said he didn’t think so, yet he added that it might change if the increase remains constant.

“Higher gas prices have not deterred vacation plans in the past,” he said. “Overall it’s a small piece of the pie when compared to the other expenses like hotel rooms, but if the prices keep going up, people will be more judicious with their money. They might not go as far as they used to.”

With this in mind, a simple trip from Charleston to Myrtle beach can add up to about $125 according to Beheler.

“It is about 900 miles and when I plugged it in, it resulted to a total of $125,” he said “Just recently, I went down to Norton Virginia and found myself looking at gas prices which I hadn’t really paid that much attention to in the past.”

For travelers who are worried about how much money they will be spending in gas before they even pack, there is a solution brought about by AAA which will solve that mystery.

“An estimated 38 million will be traveling this summer and out of that number, 34 million will be traveling by car,” Beheler said. “We have websites such as www.aaafuelcostcalculator.com which will calculate how much money you will spend on gas when the destination and type of car is plugged in.”

AAA also has a Visa credit card which will enable you to have a 5% savings on gas. However much money you spend, the savings will be in the form of a rebate on the next monthly statement.

Beheler said that gas prices are more than just a “water cooler conversation” and are now more important in people’s lives. Yet, with these methods, he said he believes it will add a little more money to spend on something else besides gas.

“More and more people are thinking of ways to save gas,” he said. “There is no silver bullet for this, but if we use these simple methods, we will be able to save a little money.”