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Michigan Gas Prices Exceed Over $5 A Gallon, Drivers React

(CBS DETROIT) - Filling up your gas tank is getting more and more expensive, and the hike is hitting drivers where it hurts.

"It costs at least $80 to fill the tank up," said Arthur Herndon, a Metro-Detroit driver," said Arthur Herndon.

"It's wearing everybody out right now. "

Howard Hughey of AAA Michigan says the demand for crude oil and the costs per barrel is causing prices to surge.

"We know that stocks in our region, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois, it's really tight right now," Hughey said.

"We also know this is happening while these warm temps are kind of rising and people are getting out more so the demand is higher. Not only that, crude oil prices are at $120 a barrel. That's almost double of what it was this time last year, so now you have the confluence of all these factors resulting in what you're seeing at your pumps."

The Michigan average for regular unleaded is $5.21 a gallon as of Wednesday while Metro Detroit commuters pay 4 cents more per gallon.

Hughey says it's possible for prices to stabilize but that might not come until the end of the summer.

"To what degree and what number that's really hard to pinpoint," Hughey said. "There's so many global factors as I eluded to earlier and so I think for the foreseeable future, drivers are going to have to sort of bear down and just kind of wait with a very hopeful spirit."

But analysts say there are ways to save a few cents on the gallon.

"Join one of the loyalty programs, we offer one with Shell," Hughey said.

"You can save 5 cents per gallon. There are others that are out there, plenty to choose from. We tell people to make sure they're doing proper maintenance on their vehicles. Inflating their tires properly, eliminating access weight to your vehicle. Those things can increase fuel efficiency, so you're burning less gas."

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