Memorial day 2007, that was the last time fuel prices in the Heart of Dixie were anywhere near the current rate.
Now, that old record of $3.08 a gallon has been crushed, as the average price in Alabama is a whopping $3.13 a gallon, up nearly a quarter from just a month ago!
And, it's only expected to get worse!
"It's gonna be really difficult to keep the prices where we are now with crude oil prices as high as it is, so it looks like we're headed for some higher prices over the next few months." said Clay Ingram with AAA.
The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham is hoping this opens drivers' eyes to the benefits of car-pooling.
5-thousand people in Jefferson and Shelby county are already in their free CommuteSmart program database.
"When we talk to people we like to talk about the cost-saving they're gonna have when they get in a car pool, and when gas prices get higher, they start looking for another way they can save money, so that drives people to us quite a bit." said Sean Saffle with CommuteSmart.
The concept is pretty simple: once you sign-up, you're matched with people who share your same commute.
"We have a ride-matching database like a dating service for car pools, but it's just a way for you to find out, you may work in a building downtown where someone lives in your same neighborhood or a mile away from you." Saffle said.
Triple-A recommends taking simple measures to conserve fuel, like: not speeding, reducing the weight in your car, and making sure tire pressure is set correctly.
To learn how CommuteSmart is offering cash, and free gas cards, as incentives to car-pool, just click on "links" at the top of this webpage.
