SALT LAKE CITY — When Kimberly L. pulled up to the gas pump on Sunday, she was unfortunately prepared for the prices that awaited her.
“Between my husband's truck and my car, we're well over $300 a month in gas,” she said. "It hits your pocket, and we've got a one-working-person household of four, so we’ve had to budget differently.”
This is one of the reasons why she was driving a motorcycle.
“I'm actually probably going to be riding this a lot more often. Gets way better gas mileage than any of our vehicles,” she added.
According to AAA, as of Sunday, average gas prices in Utah were around $3.16 compared to $2.74 the week prior.
“I went to go get gas the other day, and I spent $10 on two and a half gallons of gas. And it was insane,” said Grace Wieland from Park City. "Most of my activities are down in Salt Lake, so it's hard to come down here every week and do the things I love to do whenever gas is so expensive.”
“At work, I make around $18 an hour, and that's not even a full tank. It’s like two hours at work is one tank, which is kind of crazy,” said Addison Lowe, who is also from Park City.
According to Gas Buddy, the rising prices come after the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, impacting ships that carry large amounts of oil that pass through the Straight of Hormuz, a key trade route.
“Gas prices likely continue advancing, oil prices will likely keep climbing until that oil can move again,” said petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan.
AAA said the last time the national average made a similar jump was in March of 2022 during the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
In the meantime, Utahns told FOX 13 News that they will continue to budget and hope prices go down sooner rather than later.
