GREENSBORO, N.C. — A year ago, the average gas price for the U.S. was hovering right at $3.00, and in Greensboro, it was just under $2.85.
Now, the U.S. average is about $4.57 and the Greensboro average is $4.35. 2 Wants To Know asked the GasBuddy folks if we would hit $5 here in the Triad.
Patrick DeHaan said it wasn’t likely, but that we’re in it for the long haul, so everyone needs to drive slower, really.
“Consider slowing down five to 10 miles an hour. Those tips seem silly and ridiculously easy, but I tried it instead of going 60 or 55 instead of 70 miles an hour, which increased my fuel efficiency by 20- 25% and I got 400 miles out of the tank instead of 350, that had the equivalent of saving 50-cents a gallon,” said DeHaan.
That kind of savings means you don't have to fill up at these prices once a week. You can stretch it out maybe to a week and a half or every two.
DeHaan answered a lot of common questions for us on WFMY News 2 at 5:30 pm on Tuesday. For example:
Why does one station have a price and across the street there's a different price?
Why can’t we get our gas from another country besides Russia?
The question, “Why can’t we just ramp up production here in the U.S. and get rid of these prices?”
“This is a very slow-moving game, oil companies have to get permits, they have to drill and explore for oil, every well doesn't yield oil, and getting the oil to the market, it's a very slow process,” said DeHaan.