Published: May 12, 2008 11:50 pm            

Gas price effect

It’s impacting teens as well

What's the point in having a car if I can’t pay for the gas?”

Buying gas is like making another car payment every month, and with fuel prices seemingly having no roof, many teen drivers are cringing every time they go out for a spin. Besides, it’s not like we have the largest income around.

Fun travels have nearly been completely cut out along with other unnecessary leisure trips.

“I don’t want to drive anywhere anymore such as Morgantown or Clarksburg,” says senior Vincent Roman. “It takes up about a quarter tank of gas to Morgantown and back.”

Driving is now basically done out of necessity, such as school or practice. If you’re money conscious at all, going to the mall over the weekend is out of the question.

“I hardly go out to eat as much anymore and don’t go out to my girlfriend’s house as much because we live pretty far away,” commented senior Blayze Haught.

With the price of crude oil hovering around $100 a barrel, it is no wonder that concern is growing about the gas prices being so high. After all, modern economies are kept moving by this lifeblood.

For instance, in the United States alone, personal vehicles consume more than 140 billion gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline per year. According to the Energy Information Administration, gas is projected to rise 40 cents this summer, yet another reason not to drive to East Marion Park.

Unfortunately for kids who are involved in everything, like sports and clubs, using gas is a necessary evil. Plus, it makes you fill up more often.

“I never fill up my tank past the half mark anymore,” says senior Tiffany Peck. “I only put in $30 at the most, and that’s still only half of a tank.”

Many kids feel like every hour they spend working is turning directly into gas instead of the “extra cash” they planned on receiving.

“I don’t get very much money on my paycheck, and when I go to get gas, I pretty much use the whole thing, well, at least half,” says senior Sara Culp. Plus, don’t we have to drive to work, anyway?

As conventional wisdom proves, desperate times call for desperate measures, and teens have certainly applied this theory to gasoline.

“I just put the car in neutral and coast as much as I can,” says junior Nicole Everson. Or, we could all be a little patient and “actually go the speed limit,” indicated Stormee Satterfield. Driving a huge truck for the purpose of impressing people probably doesn’t help anyone’s budget, either. More and more companies are coming out with hybrids or electric vehicles that use gas as a backup energy source.

There are simpler ways to save money, however.

“I have found that Go-Mart at South Fairmont exit is the cheapest,” states senior Travis Alkire. Jessica Gorbey seems to think that the Katy Market near North Marion sells the least expensive fuel.

Despite many cash and fuel-saving techniques, it appears that gas prices will only get worse. In the words of Sammy Matos, “If people are so worried about gas prices, they should just walk.”

        

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