Drivers run out of gas to save money

LOS ANGELES, California — Some California drivers are resorting to desperate measures to beat the surge in gas prices at the pump – deliberately running dry on the state’s freeways and simply waiting for rescue.

“Every time fuel goes up, we start noticing it. But right now we are noticing it a lot more,” Andy Lujan, owner of California Coach Towing in Orange County, said Tuesday.

Lujan’s 20 trucks roam the busy freeways of Orange and Los Angeles counties as part of a publicly funded patrol that gives a free gallon of gas to drivers who have run out of fuel. It also offers other basic assistance to drivers whose vehicles have broken down.

“You say to some of them ‘hey, you’ve run out of gas’ and they say ‘yeah, it’s too expensive.’ I think the percentage is going to increase,” Lujan said.

Reuters