A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in North Carolina cost $4.18 on Thursday – the highest average price on record, according to AAA.
That's up by 53 cents in just one week. Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst with Gasbuddy.com, says he expects prices will continue to rise due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has greatly impacted the global oil supply.
He's advising consumers to avoid panic buying and curb gas use as much as possible to help decrease demand.
“The more of us that can band together and do that, the more we can reduce our consumption and the faster we can bring prices back down," says De Haan. "I'm not asking you to park your cars. Just keep in mind, there's other people too, they need to drive for work. So if you can take it a few miles an hour slower on the interstate to reduce your consumption, that would be a nice step of you to take.“
North Carolinians are still paying about 13 cents less per gallon than the national average. Prices are currently highest in California, where a gallon costs about $5.60.