ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MIGas prices rise 40 cents in Mid-Michigan

(02/20/12) - Gas prices are on the rise again.

The cost to fill up in Mid-Michigan went up 40 cents over the weekend.

The statewide average price now stands at about $3.46 a gallon.

Price hikes pushed the national average to $3.55, and experts say tensions in Iran could drive the numbers even higher.

Many of the drivers ABC12 spoke with don't understand the roller-coaster prices.

Nearly all say this increase is really hurting their pockets.

Prices at the pump set a record high for this time of year and drivers are not happy.

"When they feel like they want to make money, they up the price, and then they say we'll give them a break for a week or so, and then they'll go down 15 cents. You know, it's just modern day extortion to me," said driver Earl Fuller.

At the Marathon on Saginaw and Leith in Flint, it cost $3.19 a gallon to fill up on Friday. Now, it's up to $3.49. That's the same price drivers are paying for unleaded at the Speedway at Center and Court in Burton. Three days ago, it cost $3.09.

"They are crazy. They've been going up and down all week," said driver Dana Bristol.

Prices surged this weekend after Iran announced that it is halting oil shipments to Britain and France as a pre-emptive strike for the European Union's tough new sanctions over its nuclear program.

And hold on to your wallets, as the pain is likely to increase.

Economists predict an average of $4.25 by late April and nearly $5 a gallon by Memorial Day.

This is leaving drivers in Mid-Michigan looking for ways to conserve fuel and cash.

"I work plenty of hours, I'm out here struggling just like everybody else. Trying to move, get an apartment, and being a college student, it's especially hard," said driver Kiyana Dudley-Thompson.

"It hurts us, it cripples us, especially a lot of people who travel to get to work. They can't afford the gas prices, they can't afford to live," Fuller said. "A lot of people who travel 100-110 miles to get to work, they can't afford the gas prices, they can't afford to live."

Some drivers tell us if prices reach that $5 mark, they won't drive as much.

Some won't take vacations this summer. They'll just find things to do closer to home.

To check gas prices in your area, click here.