HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — As the war in Iran continues, it’s directly impacting gas prices in Houston.

People at the pump told ABC13, in a car-centric city, they feel they have no option but to keep filling up.

Some drivers say they try using tools, like GasBuddy, to find the best-priced pump.

“You wonder why people are paying $4 per gallon when across the street it’s $2 per gallon,” driver Orval Marlow said.

In Houston, gas is below the state average, sitting around $2.84 per gallon.

“You do kind of have to eat it if you are someone who commutes quite often,” driver Taylor Scholefield said.

Across Texas, the median cost per gallon of $2.97 today is 10 cents higher than yesterday and about 40 cents higher than last week.

“We don’t anticipate that that kind of an increase is going to be make or break for people’s travel,” Doug Shupe with AAA said.

As we head into the start of spring break, Shupe says the increased cost of gas will add just under three dollars to the average mid-sized sedan per fill-up compared to last year’s spring costs.

It’s not unusual to see spring price increases as demand rises and the more expensive-to-produce summer blends hit the market, but the war in Iran has supercharged this year’s uptick.

“It really won’t cost people to cancel their plans, however, maybe they will pack food for the road trip, pack lunches for the kids as opposed to stopping at restaurants, they will make up for costs in other ways,” Shupe said.

While drivers wait to see how much higher gas prices will climb, those who spoke with ABC13 say plans are staying in place, but budgeting is at the forefront.

“At the end of the day, you’re going to have to factor it into your budget, a couple extra dollars here, a couple dollars there, parking it all adds up,” Scholefield said.

AAA says you can stretch your gas by making your load lighter, unpacking sports gear between outings, and keeping your tires fully inflated. If you are about to hit the road, try to pack the bags inside the vehicle rather than on top of the car to help reduce drag.

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