Drivers’ love of the road grows costly

ST. LEON, Indiana (Reuters) – Indiana bills itself as “The Crossroads of America” but with gasoline topping $3 a gallon, few here are celebrating their relationship with the road.

“High prices affect people out here more than in the city,” Jeff Finck, 53, said as he fueled his Chevrolet Suburban at an Exxon station near the border of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

“It’s 25 miles to our church,” he said. “If I need gas it’s 6 miles away — that’s a 12-mile round trip. The nearest grocery story is 6 or 7 miles away.

“We’re being gouged … but what can you do?” he said.

America’s love of the road has entered a difficult phase. While U.S. gasoline is still cheaper than in Europe or Asia, wars in the Middle East helped push the average price to $2.99 a gallon on Friday, up 30 percent from a year ago, according to the AAA automobile club.

Reuters