[pup55]

Record gasoline price adjusted for inflation: $2.91 (1981) (yearly average)
Record Crude Oil adjusted for inflation: $88.85 (1980) (yearly average)

Fuel price (nominal dollars/gal yearly average)
Fuel Price (inflation adjusted dollars/gal)
Crude oil price (nominal dollars/bbl yearly average)
Crude Oil Price (inflation adjusted $/bbl)
Household income: median of "middle fifth" per US DOC
Infl Adjusted "household income"
Inflation adjuster per inflationdata.com

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
fuel infl adj fuel crude infl adj oil income infl adj income infl adjustor
E05 2.45 2.45 46.47 46.47 $45,867
E004 1.95 2.02 37.66 38.93 $44,531 $46,033 1.033722783
2003 1.51 1.60 27.69 29.42 $43,658 $46,386 1.062477429
2002 1.48 1.61 22.81 24.76 $42,802 $46,461 1.085488821
2001 1.53 1.69 23.00 25.39 $42,629 $47,059 1.103913043
2000 1.56 1.77 27.39 31.07 $42,233 $47,907 1.134355604
1999 1.22 1.43 16.56 19.38 $40,750 $47,689 1.170289855
1998 1.12 1.34 11.91 14.28 $38,967 $46,721 1.198992443
1997 1.29 1.57 18.64 22.70 $37,177 $45,275 1.217811159
1996 1.29 1.61 20.46 25.48 $35,486 $44,193 1.245356794
1995 1.21 1.55 16.75 21.48 $34,106 $43,737 1.28238806
1994 1.17 1.54 15.66 20.64 $32,385 $42,684 1.318007663
1993 1.17 1.58 16.75 22.67 $31,272 $42,325 1.353432836
1992 1.19 1.66 19.25 26.81 $30,631 $42,661 1.392727273
1991 1.20 1.72 20.20 28.98 $30,147 $43,250 1.434653465
1990 1.22 1.82 23.19 34.58 $29,781 $44,408 1.491159983
1989 1.06 1.67 18.33 28.88 $28,925 $45,573 1.575559193
1988 0.96 1.59 14.87 24.60 $27,291 $45,149 1.654337592
1987 0.96 1.65 17.75 30.52 $26,055 $44,800 1.71943662
1986 0.93 1.66 14.44 25.73 $24,979 $44,509 1.781855956
1985 1.20 2.18 26.92 48.90 $23,735 $43,114 1.816493314
1984 1.20 2.26 28.75 54.09 $22,547 $42,420 1.881391304
1983 1.23 2.41 29.08 57.07 $21,105 $41,419 1.962517194
1982 1.28 2.59 31.83 64.50 $20,195 $40,923 2.026390198
1981 1.35 2.91 35.75 76.94 $19,141 $41,195 2.152167832
1980 1.22 2.90 37.42 88.85 $17,807 $42,281 2.374398717
1979 0.88 2.35 25.10 66.94 $16,495 $43,991 2.666932271
1978 0.65 1.95 14.95 44.81 $15,010 $44,990 2.997324415
1977 0.64 2.06 14.40 46.41 $13,671 $44,060 3.222916667
1976 0.60 2.06 13.10 44.99 $12,762 $43,829 3.434351145
1975 0.57 2.01 7.67 27.00 $11,787 $41,493 3.520208605
1974 0.53 2.10 9.35 37.00 $11,206 $44,345 3.957219251
1973 0.39 1.70 4.75 20.73 $10,402 $45,397 4.364210526
1972 0.36 1.68 3.60 16.82 $9,625 $44,970 4.672222222
1971 0.36 1.74 3.60 17.37 $8,965 $43,256 4.825')
Sources:
Crude price: BP review
Gas price: US Dept of Commerce
Inflation Adjustor: ]Inflationdata.com

Additional interesting data:
Average miles traveled per pass vehicle (thousands) US DOT
Average fuel consumption (mpg) USDOT
gross vehicle fuel consumption (gal/yr) USDOT
household revolving debt ($/household) US Dept of Commerce

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
year miles trav fuel eff fuel cons/veh rev debt
2003 12.24 22.27 549.79 6,374
2002 12.20 21.97 555.26 6,215
2001 11.80 22.14 534.45 5,769
2000 11.98 21.90 546.81 5,401
1999 11.85 21.41 553.36 5,206
1998 11.75 21.61 543.81 4,984
1997 11.58 21.50 538.67 4,637
1996 11.33 21.23 533.58 4,041
1995 11.20 21.12 530.21 3,392
1994 10.99 20.71 530.75 2,966
1993 10.80 20.51 526.58 2,790
1992 10.84 20.97 516.95 2,624
1991 10.58 21.11 501.30 2,376
1990 10.53 20.24 520.33 2,102
1985 9.75 17.44 559.24 1,013
1980 9.14 15.89 575.51 604
1975 9.69 13.95 694.81 171
1970 10.28 13.52 759.93 60 ')Inflation.com

[Cynus]

Interesting. In 1980 a user consumed 575 gallons per year. At $2.91/gallon that means they spent $1673.25/year on gas. The average income was $41000/year which means they spent 4 percent of their income on gas.
In 2005 as SUV owner getting 15 MPG consumes 816 gallons a year at $2.50 gallon which comes out to $2040 a year on gas. The average income is $46000/year which means that they're spending 4.43% of their income on gas.
Which means that the current gas prices are having a worse affect on average incomes than in the early 80s!
Enough of this "oil prices are still far below the all time highs of the 1980s."