| Similar to having once owned a rotary phone, I can | | | | pricey vehicles. |
| vaguely remember what it was like to pay under | | | | Because of high gasoline prices, there have also been |
| $1.30 per gallon for gasoline when I filled up at the | | | | people who have begun to purchase hybrid vehicles |
| gas station. Back then, gasoline only cost around $20 | | | | that don't necessarily depend upon gasoline as a fuel |
| to fill up my little silver Altima. This was around the | | | | source. For example, my uncle recently expressed |
| year of 2001. Now, just shy of 10 years later, gas | | | | interest in purchasing an electric car if it ever |
| prices have shot up to around $3.00 per gallon. | | | | becomes an option that makes sense. Electric cars |
| Recently, when I had a Jeep, I was paying just over | | | | would make sense for those people who only drive |
| $50 every time I needed to fill up my gas tank. And | | | | locally. However, for someone like me who drives |
| because my Jeep had 4-wheel drive and also had a | | | | long distances often (I.e. from North Carolina to New |
| V6 engine, it ate through at least a tank of gasoline | | | | York), electric cars do not make sense). Perhaps we |
| each week! Sometimes, it wasn't unusual for me to | | | | will see a day where we no longer have to rely on |
| have to fill up my gas tank at least twice a week, | | | | gasoline as our main fuel source. Until then, it seems |
| depending on how many errands I had to run as well | | | | that we will have to continue to pay high gasoline |
| as whether or not I was hanging out with friends. | | | | prices no matter how high they run. In situations like |
| While owning a Jeep (or any sport utility vehicle for | | | | these, it may help to join a carpool or take |
| that matter) is expensive, a bigger question still | | | | advantage of mass transportation such as buses, |
| looms: How much longer will gas prices continue to | | | | trains and ride share programs. |
| rise? Will we ever live in a time when gas prices | | | | The future of gasoline prices is uncertain. In the |
| return to what they once used to be? Perhaps we | | | | meantime, we should try our best to drive more |
| are already past this time. Because of the elevated | | | | conservatively. If you have to run an errand, try to |
| gas prices, more and more people were beginning to | | | | plan it out so that you run multiple errands in the |
| trade in their sport utility vehicles for cars that were | | | | same location or along the way. If you are concerned |
| easier on the wallet. There has also been an increase | | | | about high prices at the gas pump, then purchase a |
| in the number people who have been purchasing | | | | vehicle that is more efficient when it comes to |
| used cars instead of buying new vehicles. Again, a lot | | | | gasoline consumption. You will make your life |
| of this behavior has been dictated by high gasoline | | | | considerably easier in the process. |
| prices and the inability to continue financing more | | | | |