Surging gas prices leave drivers stranded with wallets on ‘empty’

Sonny Alaniz was headed home after midnight when his ATV lurched to a stop on a rural Texas road, the gas tank undeniably drained.

The nursing student and his seven passengers, who had been out celebrating his 22nd birthday that last Saturday in May, had little choice but to hop out and push. They slogged three miles before someone arrived with fuel, only to find the four-wheeler still wouldn’t start and had to be towed. “Next time, I’ll just stay home,” he joked.

It’s a familiar predicament, especially as the incessant run-up in prices has motorists testing the limits of their fuel gauges: AAA fielded 50,787 out-of-gas calls in April, a 32 percent jump from the same month last year. More than 200,000 drivers have been similarly stranded this year, the automobile club said. And gas prices have risen precipitously since April, making the financial pain even more acute.

Fuel prices began their most recent surge after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, upsetting energy markets. The U.S. average for a gallon of gas has swelled 62 percent, to $4.96, since last year, AAA data shows. Motorists in 16 states are paying at least $5 a gallon on average, while California has breached $6. Filling up a tank of gas, depending on the vehicle, can cost more than $100, which is the equivalent of 14 hours of after-tax income for certain low-wage workers.

The escalating expense, combined with the rising costs of food, housing and other essentials, has consumers playing inflationary whack-a-mole, making tougher choices on how much they can spend and when. Some drivers may do a partial fill-up if they’re pressed for cash at the end of a pay cycle, says Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

“If you only have five or 10 bucks left before your next paycheck, that’s what you’re going on,” De Haan said. “This tells us people are really hurting from high gas prices.”

Washington Post-Schar School poll bears that out: 44 percent of drivers randomly contacted between April 21 and May 12 said they have only partially filled their car’s gas tank, a figure that rises to 61 percent for drivers with incomes below $50,000.

And more than 6 in 10 drivers have made the decision to drive less — making fewer trips to the grocery store, for example — while more than 3 in 10 said they are driving at reduced speeds, which can improve gas mileage.

Gasoline demand, measured as a four-week moving average, dropped to 8.8 million barrels a day for the week ended May 20, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. If you exclude 2020, that’s the lowest level for that time of year since 2013.

Alina Hille, 35, is used to cutting it close between fill-ups but had never actually run out until a recent Monday afternoon, sidelined on a St. Louis street with her son, 4, and daughter, 7, in tow. The three trudged to the nearest fuel station, where the loaner gas can was out with another customer. So Hille, who works as a therapist for a nonprofit, purchased a one-gallon canister for $1.50, filled it up and managed to get home in time to jump on a Zoom call.

She has found ways to pare back — she works from home more often and is more likely to walk her kids to school — but the financial challenge is profound: As of Wednesday, a full tank of gas would run her $67 ― $9 more than a month ago.