SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — After getting a little relief, San Diegans are once again on the verge of paying $6 for a gallon of regular gas.
The Auto Club reported Monday that the average gallon of gas locally was nearly $5.96, the highest since April 1. The organization also said gas prices have increased 13 out of the last 14 days.
Doug Shupe, a spokesman for the Auto Club, said crude oil prices have spiked since the European Union proposed banning Russian oil, given the country's invasion into Ukraine. He noted a barrel of crude oil is now going for roughly $110, and that it makes up about half the price of a gallon of gas.
"The oil market is much like the stock market," he said. "It does not like uncertainty, and certainly with the European Union's proposed talks about banning Russian oil has created a lot of concern in the global oil market."
In San Diego, Jesse Rodriguez spent $40 to buy six gallons of gas for Nissan Cube, which only filled it three-quarters of the way.
"My gas tank is little but I've got to be pumping all the time," he said, adding that he drives all over the county for work. "El Cajon city, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, I've gotta pump every two days for sure."
The high gas prices could put a damper on summer travel plans, despite pent up demand.
An Auto Club survey earlier this year found only 42 percent of Americans planning vacations would not let the pain at the pump impact their itineraries.
