Running on Empty: More Motorists Out of Gas

With the national average hitting $4 a gallon, more and more drivers are finding themselves running on empty.

Though no national statistics exist, towing services and automobile clubs, such as AAA, report a substantial increase in motorists running out of gas. Calls for roadside assistance have gone up all across the country.

In Philadelphia, a pastor named Saba runs out of gas while driving the church's 15-passenger van to the airport. He insists that he doesn't normally let the tank get so low, but current gas prices have led the church to reduce its use of the van. Now, Saba only fills the van with half a tank.

Gary Siley, the AAA technician who helped Saba, seems to understand the number of drivers in this predicament: "The number one reason is that they can't stretch their money out from week to week."

In Philadelphia alone, calls from out-of-gas AAA members doubled in the last year, from 81 to 161.

In Dallas, David Castillo supervises the Courtesy Patrol and notes, "Of course you get the people who try to scam us out of gas, so we always ask them now to try to start it first, and, of course, it starts right up with some of them."

Comments

[Printman80]

People need to realize that no matter what, they are going to need gas to get anywhere, the store, to work, or anyplace. If the fuel in the tank isn't going to get you to where you need to go, then don't go. Getting stranded is a waste of time and resources. Plan ahead, budget, and make cuts of unnecessary expenses in order to compensate for the increase in NECESSARY expenses like shelter and fuel.

[Emma]

I find myself running it on empty all the time. I just can't stomach shelling out $60 to fill up.. I can see why more and more drivers are ending up on the side of the road.

[mop921]

This doesn't make much sense. The more you wait to fill up, the more it will cost. I understand the frustration and expense, but you're only hurting yourself in the end.

[ltorres]

This isn't surprising. Many budgets can't handle the price increases. Better to take the bus, I suppose.