Gas prices are on the rise every week so far this spring selling for an average of $4.71 in Washington State Friday according to AAA. They say prices could hit an average of $6 a gallon in some parts of the country this summer.

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SO YOU WANT TO SAVE GAS? YOU'LL HAVE TO SLOW DOWN

With Washington's high gas tax, one of the highest in the nation it's a good possibility gas prices could hit record highs by midsummer. So what can drivers do to save money on gas? AAA has some suggestions worth considering. First they say slow down because speeding is burning gas. Officials say fuel economy peaks out at about 50 miles-per-hour and anything above that burns fuel. So if you slow down as little as 5 to 10 mph will help increase fuel economy sometimes by as much as 15 percent.

THAT FAST TAKE OFF AND EXTRA WEIGHT EQUALS LESS FUEL AND MORE $

That rapid take-off from the light or stop sign, the acceleration in trying to pass someone can cut fuel economy by between 15 and 30 percent.
What about that extra weight in the trunk or other areas in your car? AAA officials say if you drive around with an extra 100 pounds it also reduces fuel economy. So shedding extra pounds can make a difference.

DO YOU TOP OFF THE TANK AFTER THE CLICK?

AAA also says forget topping off the tank after the gas pump click. The push to make sure the tank is completely full can actually damage the Evaporative Emission System which is the system that collects fuel vapors. Getting it fixed is cost you want to avoid.

SOME AMERICANS ARE THINKING ELECTRIC

And last but not least AAA officials recommend you scrap that fuel burning vehicle and buy an electric car because of the rising cost of gas. They say more Americans are looking at going electric every day.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

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