NAMPA, Idaho — Despite gas prices lowering nationwide, they're continuing to go up in Idaho. As of Friday morning, the average price of a tank of gas in the Gem state was $5.20 a gallon, according to AAA. That's about 30 cents higher than the current national average.
With these high gas prices that don't seem to be budging, many are getting close to empty or even running out of gas.
Code Red Towing in Nampa responds to roughly one hundred calls a day and only a few are for fuel deliveries, but this is still 20% more than they used to see.
"Usually we're doing fuel deliveries at their house," said Code Red Towing owner, Mark Boisvert.
He said most fuel delivery calls are people using their insurance to get a few gallons delivered before they run out, but they still get calls from drivers stranded on the highway.
Running out of gas is never the ideal situation, but it can have more negative effects than just leaving you waiting for AAA.
"Potential damage to your fuel pump, to your fuel line. Certainly engine wear," Matthew Conve with AAA said.
AAA has some tips for drivers to get the most out of each gallon:
- Take anything heavy that you don't need out of your car
- Avoid stop-and-go traffic
- Combine trips
- Take advantage of fuel rewards as much as you can.
AAA is also warning drivers to be aware of fuel theft.
Rather than siphoning gas, people are starting to drill a hole in the gas tank under your car to steal gas. Steps you can take to prevent this include parking in a visible area that's well lit.
