Despite High Prices, Drivers Urged to Fill Up

Stafford, Va. –– Gas prices are on the incline, but transportation experts urge drivers to fill up sooner than later.

In Stafford County this week regular unleaded gas prices are averaging $3.87 per gallon, up 35 cents from this time last month. The most expensive gas in the neighborhood can be found at the Sunoco station on Courthouse Road, where it’ll cost you $3.97 a gallon to fill your tank, according to AAA Mid Atlantic’s gas price finder.

That’s nearly $60 to fill a 15-gallon gas tank.

The price goes up the further north you travel. In Woodbridge the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.60.

In Lorton? Gas prices there have topped $4 per gallon, as the average price per gallon is now $4.03.

Nationwide, drivers are paying 35 percent more for a gallon of gas than they did this time last year, according to the Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

With prices so high many drivers are tempting fate and seeing how long they can go without filling up. That’s a bad idea, says AAA Mid Atlantic.

Running on fumes can cause damage to your car, and if you run out of gas you could be dangerously stranded in the middle of nowhere.

“Think gas is really expensive now?  If you are thinking about running around on fumes, you better think again because that could only be the beginning of your troubles,” said Mid-Atlantic’s spokesman John B. Townsend II. “It can lead to fuel system damage that can cost you more in the long run. In fact, running on empty or running out of gas may cause the electric fuel pump inside the fuel tank to overheat. The cost to replace this one component alone can be $500 or more in parts and labor.”

Townsend says AAA roadside assistance drivers in the Washington area have noted a 39-percent increase in calls related to drivers running out of gas.

AAA Mid Atlantic reminds drivers to not let the gas gauge dip below the quarter tank level.