Tulsa Drivers Take Advantage Of Low Gas Prices

Overall, families are spending a lot less to fill the gas gauge these days.

Prices jumped a dime a gallon since Tuesday morning in Tulsa, but we're still well below the national average, which is down 60 cents in six months.

That means families are spending five to $15 less to fill up than they did last summer, and every dollar counts with the holidays right around the corner.

A spokesperson for QuikTrip said the overnight spike in gas prices in Oklahoma is simply a sign of the market correcting itself after such a quick fall in prices.

Even with the ten-cent increase, no one was complaining about the $2.79 price, and many Tulsa gas stations were packed, benefiting from the low price.

The gas pumps were flowing Tuesday as drivers, like Dennis Severs who drives the country in his truck, clamored to get the tanks full of the cheapest gas Oklahoma has seen since 2011.

“It is a break from a year ago and it helps the pocketbook. I'm sure everyone else is liking it too. I'm just waiting for it to go up again,” Severs said.

That's what most drivers said. They said the low prices are too good to be true and it's not going to last.

“When they go up it's gonna be a nightmare,” said driver, Mark Burchette.

However, AAA says Oklahoma travelers can relax. It's predicting these prices will stick around through the holidays.

That prediction is good news for the Greater Tulsa Driving School.

Burchette said instructors can clock 40 hours a week on the road and that the low prices are a blessing.

“We're building a company, so we're trying to stay as busy as we can,” he said.

The low gas prices are thanks to dropping crude oil prices, hovering just above $80 a barrel.

The question is, when do prices get so low that the economy and jobs start being impacted?

Some experts say it's the $80 dollar a barrel mark. Others say we've got wiggle room, with the danger zone hitting more around $65 dollars a barrel.

The drivers at the gas stations Tuesday weren't worried about any of that, they were just taking advantage of the now.

“I think they'd like us filling up before leaving Oklahoma,” Severs said.

According to AAA, drivers in 17 states are now paying below $3 a gallon - with Missouri drivers paying the lowest.