As turmoil continues to spread in Middle Eastern and African countries, turmoil is also beginning to brew at gas stations nationwide as consumer sovereignty does not favor the sharp increases in gas prices.
Recent revolutions in Libya and Egypt have caused oil prices to soar above $100 per barrel and they now stand at $105 per barrel.
For the past three weeks, gas prices have risen continually. The regional average stood at around $2.80 in late January.
According texasgasprices.com, the average price per gallon is $3.40, a 60 percent increase from a little over a month ago.
Many students are experiencing difficulty trying to navigate through the rough times presented by inflation of gas prices.
Assuming the average student drives an economy-sized vehicle, which has a gas tank capacity ranging from 11-16 gallons, students could be paying anywhere between $37-$55 for a full tank of gas.
For students driving a sports utility vehicle, a full tank could cost around $88, assuming the tank size is the average, 26 gallons.
July 2008 brought along a record high $4.11 per gallon. Congress and consumers both worry about this trend repeating itself.
In an effort to avoid this, Congress has been pressuring the Obama administration to tap into the 727 million barrel oil reserve, something that has seldom occurred since the reserve was created in the 1970s.
According to economists, the oil reserve has an estimated 37 days worth of supplies for U.S. drivers.
Junior nursing major Beverly Tucker
said, “Since the price of gas has increased, I have to be more conscious. I miss Monday, Wednesday, and Friday tutorials because I had to cut down on trips. I had to change my schedule so that I only have Tuesday and Thursday classes.”