Even after gas prices dropped from record highs this past summer, the cost to fill a tank in Utah remains well above the national average as the seasons turn.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, gas prices are up 25% from last year’s Utah average price at the pumps. As of Oct. 4, a gallon of gas is priced $4.16, whereas the national average is $3.80, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
The steady high prices are causing drivers across the country, including students at Salt Lake Community College, to change how they approach driving. A Sept. 14-26 survey from the Census, for example, found that many U.S. adults changed their driving behavior due to high gas prices.
Braden Timmerman, a SLCC English major, said he is more cognizant of his decisions when commuting by car.
“I’m more conscientious of how much I travel,” he said. “I find myself taking more public transportation when available. I find I try to rideshare, carpool so I can save gas for myself and friends.”
The higher gas prices have made Sophia Martinson, a humanities major, more aware of her finances and travel habits.
“It has made my budget tighter,” Martinson said. “I used to drive more to visit my family … If I commute with a friend, I ask for gas money. For longer distances, I will take public transportation.”
Other students, like SLCC Student Association President Lindsay Simons, have started working more hours to cover the increased cost of fuel.
“I have to think more about where I’m going and if it’s worth the gas,” she said. “I had to get a second job this last year to help pay for the gas to get to my first job.”
Simons said she also looks for ways to cut back on her family’s dependency on gas as well.
“I just recently purchased an electric bike to tote myself and my kids around due to the rising gas prices and have been trying to incorporate other changes to compensate,” Simons said.
AAA offers some suggestions to get the most out of a tank of gas. The auto association suggest drivers accelerate smoothly with light to moderate throttle, avoid prolonged idling in general, plan ahead to accomplish multiple errands in one trip, keep tires properly inflated and, whenever possible, travel outside high-traffic times of the day.
SLCC students, as part of being enrolled at the college, have a OneCard, which doubles as a free Utah Transit Authority (UTA) for use on public transit, like buses and TRAX light rail.
UTA’s schedules are posted online and can be downloaded from their website and app.
