As the U.S.-Iran war heads into its third month, gas prices across the United States are climbing to record heights because of disruptions in global oil supplies.
Students are feeling the pain at the pump.
Freshman Tara Menon said her family generally gets Costco gas as it is a cheaper option, but when they don’t it hurts.
“We didn’t go to Costco and spent $103 to fill our tank,” Menon said.
The average cost of gas in California on May 1 was $6.06.per gallon, reflecting an increase of 27.3% from the same time last year, according to the American Automobile Association and U.S.
Energy Information Administration websites. This is compared to the national average of $4.392.
ABC News reported last week that gas prices just hit their highest price in four years.
These drastic spikes are affecting families and student drivers in San Ramon.
Gas prices generally tend to be cheapest at the Danville Costco gas station. Regular gas is priced at $5.99 per gallon, while premium gas is $6.49 per gallon, according to Cotsco’s website as of May 1.
For many drivers, these exorbitant prices have been difficult to ignore.
Senior Ashley Goldsmith, who drives a 2014 Honda Odyssey, said she is frustrated by how expensive gas has become and how quickly prices have risen.
“It went from $3.80 to over $6,” Goldsmith said. “It’s insane. It actually doubled in price.”
While supplies have dropped significantly, the demand for oil remains high.
The United States continues to rely heavily on cars for transportation, meaning global supply issues are quickly reflected in local gas prices.
Cal High economics teacher Stephen Farwell said the rising gas prices have a monumental impact.
“Most energy in the world comes from fossil fuels still, so that impact is not just going to be on filling up with the tank, but it’s gonna be on all products eventually, if this goes on long enough,” Farwell said.
The Strait of Hormuz was briefly reopened on April 17 before closing again on April 18, causing oil transportation issues. With Iran blocking access to the strait, nearly 20% of the world’s oil supply has been disrupted.
The current ceasefire remains fragile as Iran and the US continue negotiations to bring an end to the conflict.
The U.S. Energy Information Agency reports that crude oil is $108.64 as of April 30, which is a 1.7% decrease since the previous day. Since each barrel of oil contains 42 gallons, crude oil costs about $2.59 per gallon.
But gasoline prices are significantly higher due to refining, transportation, and taxes, raising the final cost for consumers to between $4 to $6 per gallon.
At their highest during the disruption, prices surged even higher, putting drivers in more stress.
The increase in gas prices will eventually show an increase in costs of other products, but at this time the biggest complaint from Cal students is from those who drive because of how much more they are spending on gas each week.
One such student with that complaint is junior Layla Mitchell, who drives a BMW.
“I used to pay around 80 bucks for my gas,” Mitchell said. “Now it’s almost 100.”
Goldsmith said her car has a fuel tank capacity of 21 gallons, but its lower mileage requires her to refill frequently.
“I try to fill my tank up as much as possible, but I will probably fill it up once every five days to a week, and it’ll cost me around $80 to $100,” Goldsmith said.
Although she normally pays with her own money, Goldsmith said her friends help cover the cost when she is driving them around.
“My friends are usually really good at giving me gas money, so I don’t have to worry a whole lot about it,” Goldsmith said.
Even students who don’t drive yet are already thinking about how gas prices will affect them. Freshman Maggie Luo is hesitant to start driving because of the cost.
“I’m gonna wait until I get a job so that I can afford gas prices,” Luo said. “I can’t afford them now. They’re still really expensive.”
For students like sophomore Hailey Ly, the rising costs have slightly affected their motivation to start driving. She plans to drive once she gets her license, saying her job would help her pay for gas.
“I need to work to make more money so I can pay for gas,” Ly said.
Sophomore Jasreena Hans, who plans to drive soon too, has already seen her peers stressing about gas expenses and saving money for other priorities.
“When I get my license I will try to be responsible with my mileage and how careful I am while driving,” Hans said.
Farwell added that he has not personally felt the impact yet, since he hasn’t needed to fill his hybrid since the war started.
“I feel very empathetic toward individuals that are already struggling, and now they’re going to be struggling more, because gas is something we all need just to even get to work,” Farwell said.
