Atlanta-area residents are paying almost $2 more to fill up a car with a 12-gallon gas tank than they were just over a week ago. Above: Cameron Mills, 18, of Marietta pumps gas at the Kroger on Whitlock Avenue in Marietta.
Staff/Emily Barnes

slideshow

Ed. Note: A previous version of this story reported the location of a quick trip at South Marietta Parkway and Powers Ferry Rd. The actual location of the Quick Trip is South Marietta Parkway and Lower Roswell Rd. 

We apologize for the error.

Anne Beckwith of Marietta thinks she might have found a solution to dealing with high gasoline prices: She goes to the gas station to top off her Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle every day.

“I just try to fill up a little bit at a time,” she said at the QuikTrip at South Marietta Parkway and Lower Roswell Rd., where gas was $3.45 per gallon Wednesday. “It reduces the sticker shock.”

Atlanta-area residents are paying almost $2 more to fill up a car with a 12-gallon gas tank than they were just over a week ago, the American Automobile Association reports. And the increase isn’t expected to slow down any time soon.

As of Thursday, regular unleaded gasoline cost an average of just under $3.48 a gallon in metro Atlanta, which was up from $3.32 on Jan. 30, according to the American Automobile Association.

AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said that is actually less than gas cost a year ago, when it was $3.51.

In Marietta, the lowest price listed for a gallon of regular unleaded Thursday afternoon was $3.37 at the Citgo on South Cobb Drive and Appleton Road, according to the price-tracking website atlantagasprices.com. The highest price was $3.69 a gallon at the Chevron at Cobb and North Marietta parkways. Most prices were between $3.39 and $3.59.

Several factors have influenced the recent run-up in fuel prices, including a rise in the cost of oil and optimism that the economy is improving.

Jenkins said oil refineries are also reducing production because they are switching to the summer blend of gasoline, which produces fewer emissions.

Gas prices are showing signs of rising at the same time they did in 2012, when statewide prices peaked at an average of $3.85 a gallon in April, before dropping as low as $3.14 a gallon in July, Jenkins said.

“Right now, we’re definitely keeping with the trend,” he said.

Jenkins said there are ways for drivers to conserve gas, including keeping tires properly inflated, removing excess weight from the car and driving sensibly.

“If you avoid speeding and driving aggressively, weaving in and out of traffic — that can increase your vehicle’s miles-per-gallon by 33 percent,” Jenkins said.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - News, Sports, Classifieds, Businesses in Marietta, GA