Soaring Gas Prices Affecting Student Drivers

Like their parents, Walnut Creek teen drivers are feeling the pinch of rising gas prices.

According to gasbuddy.com, gas has risen about $0.99 in the last year due to rising oil costs and unrest in the Middle East. 

According to the California State Automobile Association, nationwide gas prices are up $0.17 from just a month ago, to $3.66. Statewide, the average price for a gallon of gas is $4.05, a $0.17 increase in the past month alone. 

Gas prices in California are significantly higher than other states. California is third in the nation, with only Alaska and Hawaii having higher gas prices. 

Las Lomas High senior Amanda Onate-Trules thinks that carpooling might be a better option. 

"I find myself carpooling more because now it costs almost $70 to fill up my car," she said. "I'll probably [take BART] when I go to San Francisco, but I'll probably carpool and walk more, but I'll still drive."

Las Lomas sophomore Zachary Myers loves to ride his bike, so the change won't be too drastic. 

"Well, when I do bike and we end up driving somewhere to ride, we usually carpool and I'll give my friend some money for gas," he said. "If I'm just going somewhere close, I'll ride my bike.

Las Lomas senior Joey Sabella finds himself making adjustments to save money.

"I'm not biking or carpooling more but it definitely takes a toll on the money in my wallet," Sabella said. "I try to not go out if I don't have to, or I try to run all my errands in one trip."

Cynthia Harris, a spokeswoman for the California State Automobile Association, said she believes gas prices will continue to rise. 

"Basically, gas prices will be on the rise throughout the summer," she said. "We'll see something called the summer blunt, where it's more expensive to produce and transport gasoline in the summer months. More resources are needed in order to prevent the gas from evaporating. According to experts, conflict in the Middle East and Libya will cause prices to continue to rise. Also, Japan is likely to need more gasoline to rebuild their country after the earthquake."

Most students don't realize how many industries are affected by the rise in gasoline costs. 

"Transportation, hotels, food, basically anyone in the travel industry will see rising gasoline costs and as a result, prices in these industries will continue to rise," said Harris.

What can we do? Public transportation seems to be the best answer. 

"It affects everyone, anyone who has a job," said Harris. "We will have to depend more on public transportation such as BART, Muni and County Connection. Everyone is going to have to tighten their belts. We've seen these trends before." 

In Walnut Creek, gas prices range from $4.03 to $4.17 a gallon. The cheapest listed gas price is at the Shell station on the corner of Ygnacio Valley Road and California Boulevard. 

A shortened version of this story ran in Las Lomas High's The Page student newspaper.