ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV) - Richard Jackson and his wife are returning from a trip to Charleston. He stopped to fill up in Rock Hill before heading home to Bessemer City in North Carolina
"When you get there its really expensive its 20 or 30 cents more a gallon," said Jackson.
Typically this time of year gas prices are normally lower but spending $3.42 for a gallon doesn't scare Jackson.
"The only thing that scares me is a black widow spider or a brown spider anything else does not bother me, not even 4 dollar gas, No it sure doesn't," said Jackson.
But experts think 4 bucks a gallon is on the way.
This time last year Triple A says the average price for gas in South Carolina was $2.97 a gallon. By April of the same year the price spiked to $3.62 a gallon.
In May 2011 gas went up five more cents.
Good news is by summer the price tapered off a little, because of summer travel.
The bad news is if history should repeat itself and we see another 60 cents increase, in three months, the price for a gallon of regular could be well over $4.00.
Triple A says there's a reason for the spike in prices. One, refineries are switching over from Winter to Summer blend gas. The difference is summer gas has less pollutants.
Also continuing tension between Iran and the world has markets on edge and jacking up the price per barrel of oil.
If gas reaches $4 dollars Jackson says he won't change his summer vacation plans, but will cut back elsewhere.
"You can't drive like you're going 100 miles and hour, drive decent the gas will stay in your car longer act smart and you'll be alright," said Jackson.
On Wednesday the national average for gas is $3.48 a gallon
The average Gas Price in South Carolina is $3.42 a gallon, in North Carolina it's $3.62. In Charlotte gas is $3.66 a gallon for regular unleaded.
