Drivers Endure Gas Lines to Save a Few Pennies

Not since Hurricane Katrina shut down Gulf of Mexico oil refineries in 2005 have consumers seen such a surge in pain at the pump.

Spurred by unrest in the oil-rich Middle East, the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline is now 76.5 cents higher in Los Angeles than it was a year ago.

Drivers are submitting to long lines to save a few pennies at places such as Costco on Tampa Avenue in Northridge were the price was $3.57 a gallon on Monday evening.

The best price in Chatsworth was $3.61 at Arco, 9500 De Soto Ave., according to GasBuddy.com.

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose Monday by another 2.4 cents to $3.768. That's the 26th increase in 27 days pushing the average price 20.2 cents higher than a week ago and 41.6 cents above what it was one month ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.

And it is not yet the summer driving season when prices traditionally rise.

Statewide, the average price rose 16.4 cents over the past week to $3.719, that is 72 cents higher than a year ago.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the average national price soared 45.9 cents in a single week to $3.069 a gallon.

Analysts attribute the rising cost to increasing prices for imported crude oil stemming from the unrest in the Middle East.

Crude oil costs account for two-thirds to three-quarters of the price of a gallon of gasoline, according to Tupper Hull, vice president of strategic communications for the Western States Petroleum Association, a trade association representing oil companies in six western states.

City News Service contributed to this story.