US gas prices rapidly increased in cost this year. According to Fox News, California gas, notably, rose to almost $6 per gallon, on average. Students and workers who drive are especially affected by this price increase as they are more likely to use up more gas by driving daily.
Since March, gas prices increased and the cause behind it all is the Iran War. According to an article published by PBS News, the Iran War began on Feb. 28, right before the gas prices started rising increasingly, due to the conflict between Iran, the United States and other related nations. The Strait of Hormuz, a waterway responsible for passing around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, has been barricaded because of the war.
According to CNBC, because Iran holds the most control over the Strait of Hormuz, US shipments have not been able to cross, preventing a great amount of oil from transferring. US also blocked Iranian ports, resulting in a dual blockade, to defend each side of their respective ports, US and Iran have been attacking ships that attempt to pass through.
As much as this affects the US’ overall economic status, on a local level, school staff and students commute to campus daily by car, having to use gas. Some travel far, so they have to use a large amount of mileage. As a result, along with the recent price increase, drivers are forced to spend up to $100 to refill their tanks fully.
Because of the expenses, drivers choose not to fill up their tank fully. Senior Logan Milligan only refills his gas tank enough for him to drive to school and back.
“I’m not always the one refilling it, cause I share my car with my mom… I usually spend 20 bucks or something,” Milligan said.
Student drivers usually do not fill up their own tanks and rely on their families to pay for their gas. However, Milligan has recently begun working, just so he could pay for gas for his daily commute, or going out with his friends.
“Gas prices affects me as of lately. I’ll be, a lot of times, ‘oh, let’s go do something with my friends… Let’s go to this place’ and then every time the topic is, ‘who’s driving, whose gas money are we using?’” Milligan said.
The cost of going out has caused people to prefer to stay in more and spend less on other things. For example, English teacher Jennifer Sun.
“Maybe I’d shop a little less for fun things,” Sun said.
Sun drives two cars: a truck and an SUV. An SUV, or any newer car, requires more expensive gasoline options because it needs higher-quality diesel to run and function safely. However, since even the regular gasoline option is expensive, one may neglect their car’s quality needs and opt for a lower-quality gasoline option.
Gas prices are going to continue to increase as oil becomes limited and scarce due to the effects of the Iran War. This continues to affect people living in LA County and the US as a whole.
