WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – More gas stations joined the club in raising prices to near or above $4 a gallon.
In Watertown, $4.19 a gallon is common, with some places holding at a penny or so below $4.
AAA reported that Watertown prices are up 27 cents since Monday, with most of that increase coming in the past couple of days.
As of Friday morning, AAA said the nationwide average price was $3.84. Across New York state, the average was $4.05 – up 25 cents from Monday.
Watertown’s average as of Friday morning was $4.06.
“Think about Watertown. Prices increased 14 cents overnight since yesterday, so now they’re at $4.06. So, there’s a lot of pain at the pump. Drivers are pulling up, they’re seeing these prices, not just $4.06 on average per gallon, but then they fill up the tank and then it’s sticker shock when they see the total amount due for filling up the whole tank,” said Elizabeth Carey, AAA.
Gasoline prices are driven by the price of oil, which has been above $110 a barrel this week. AAA says that $4 mark at the pump will be a psychological threshold for some drivers, leading them to change their driving habits.
“People will tolerate $3 a gallon but when prices get this high, consumers change their habits. They’ll say, ‘I’m going to drive less, I’m going to consider an electric vehicle, I might ask to work from home if possible, so I don’t have that daily commute.’ They’ll try to change those daily driving habits,” said Carey.
She also predicts these higher prices will lead politicians to consider increasing U.S. oil production, import more oil from Canada, or temporarily eliminate gasoline taxes.
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