nationwide the average price for a gallon of unleaded is $3.35 according to triple-a. abc7's laura anthony is live in san francisco where, lor -- laura, the prices are higher. >> that's right. we are starting to see prices over $4 for premium grade in san francisco. now, you would have to alaska or hawaii to find gas prices higher than we have in california where the average price as of today is $3.74 and climbing. as tensions rise in the middle east, so do gas prices in the bay area. according to triple-a, the ganch price per gallon of regular unleaded is $3.80. in oakland, $3.75. same in san jose. it is a trend that is making some drivers anxious. >> i just bought a house, so i am ready to take out another loan just to pay for gas. it is getting ridiculous. >> and these high prices could be just the beginning depending what happens overseas. >> prices are largely driven by investors, and how they are purchasing oil. because there are potential impacts to supply in the middle east, that is an indicator that there may be some kind of shortage so they want to get ahead

statewide the average for a gallon of unleaded is $3.50 right now.hest average ever for february. experts blame the political unrest in the middle east, along with state refineries operating below capacity. but critics blame oil companies for taking advantage of unrest elsewhere and boosting prices here. it's up more than 70%. either way, here are some of the lowest prices we found around the bay. in the east bay, gas is $3.35 at the costco in concord. $3.38 at the costco in gilman and san jose. check out tritan gas in redwood city which is charging $3.37. in the city, $4.43 is the best price for a gallon of regular unleaded at the arco on geneva avenue. >>> so, did you get your invitation yet? with the gold lettering and gilded edge, some of the best connected of the people around the world, the royal wedding invitation for prince william and kate middleton. kings, presidents, prime ministers, school mates are invited to westminster abby. lord chamberlain has been commanded by the queen to invite the holder to the marriage at 11:00 a.m. on april 29t

at the pump, regular unleaded is now averaging $3.17 a gallon up 5 cents in a week. at $3.56 a gallon, diesel is up 14 cents in just a month. at this truck stop in arizona, we found daniel bailey hauling fruit and vegetables. >> we're spending more on fuel than what we're making to live on. >> reporter: and higher gas prices translate into higher prices for everything else, food, clothing, you name it. now the predictions are for $3.30 to $4 a gallon by the summer. and if the unrest in the middle east continues, hold on to your gas cap. >> if the turmoil were to spread to saudi arabia, which supplies the world with 10% of its supply, we could see gasoline prices rise to $4 to $5 a gallon. >> reporter: that could cause serious damage to the economy. >> it hits lower income people, it hits businesses like airlines. and in general, it takes spending out of the economy, at a time when we need more spending in our economy. >> reporter: real americans paying the price for revolution. tom costello for nbc news, washington. >>> the oil markets weren't the only place where al

for regular unleaded. if you're on the peninsula, check out titan gas, which is charging $3.37. $3.43 in the city at the arco on geneva. you can find other cheap spots on gasbuddy.com. >>> the fans were lined up at hp pavilion, not to watch the sharks play. doesn't look like they're watching sharks at the moment. the sharks foundation and stanford blood center teamed up for the annual save a life blood drive. any fan who gave blood or registered for the bone marrow registry had a chance to watch the sharks and colorado avalanche practice today. not everyone who showed up gave blood, though. one young man who needed a blood transfusion when he was younger came by to give his support and to show his appreciation. >> it's really touching. because it's amazing. because you look at it, and these people did save my life in a way. and they're just the unsung heroes. we're really trying to push to get these people out here. if it wasn't for them, i wouldn't be alive and the person i am today. >> the sharks drive i

in some sports, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded right now can be as high as $3.85. some drivers are using smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles. the price hikes are not because people are using more gas, according to experts. >> the price increase has little to do with our demand in the united states. the world demand for oil is quite strong. >> what's happening is oil traders are worried that oil supplies will dry up. they have even coined a phrase, fear premium. specifically, oil companies and traders are insulating their pockets against fears that the revolts in libya will spread to other opec countries that the united states relies on. at 5:00, anne makovec will have a live report in berkeley, where prices are almost $4 a gallon. >> ouch. that hurts. >>> travel in china is booming so much so that the government is planning to build at least 45 new airports in the next five years. the price tag? expected to equal $230 billion. cbsmoneywatch reporter ashley morrison checking the overseas markets this morning. >> reporter: most asian markets saw a drop off. hong kon

whatever the cause, the reality of high prices, prompted long lines at this costco where regular unleaded was selling for 3.61 per gallon. >> as gas prices look now here in san francisco, if it's any consolation, they are still well off the record high set in late june, 2008, when the average price of unleaded regular here in san francisco hit 4.62. >> coming up, that the "g" in g-mail may stand for something else. >> and anybody that wants to apply for college ma thththththth [ bob ] i'd love to build bird houses for the rest of my life. so i've got toake re of my heart. for me cheerios is a good place to start. [ male announcer ] to keep ing what you love, take care of your heart with cheerios. the whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. love your heart so you can do what you love. that'sver happened to cinnamon. introducing cinnamon burst cheerios. 20% day value of fiber bursting with the delicious taste of cinnamon. new cinnamon burst cheerios. prepare your taste buds. >>> this morning, g-mail users are complaining that the old e-mail messages are disappearing it's affecting a sm

rose 1 -- gallon of regular unleaded roast to $3.12 on average.vers pay the most, $3.35 a gallon but earlier forecasts, 3.50 to $4 a gallon by summer are unrealistic supplies should keep prices down. >> verizon stopped taking preorders for iphone until wednesday. that is because the wireless company sold so and of them last thursday, -- so many of them last thursday, a whole days worth in two hours for current customers everybody else has to wait until thursday to get a verizon iphone supplies are likely to be tight. >>> super bowl 45 filled with a lot of drama in and out of cowboy stadium how nfl is reimbursing fans who paid for tickets but turned away for the big game ♪ was so proudly we walked as the twilight less gleaming. >> even more drama after christina aguillera botches the national anthem the statement she released after the performance. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. [the monster was furious! bedtime is notrarrr!leeping. it's for laughing... [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] ...pretending... and

last night, a station in pleasanton that was selling regular unleaded for $3.63. pump prices have jumped in the bay area almost 20 cents since january. >>> 5:03 your time. a warning for shoppers in the east bay. police say thieves are following people home and then robbing them. christin ayers is in oakland, where it's happening. christin, i understand most of the victims are elderly, is that right. > >> reporter: that's right. elderly women who were shopping at this safeway here in the oakland hills. police are saying it's happened already at least half a dozen times here in the past month alone. oakland police say two men are targeting elderly woman who shop here. they are tailing them to their homes after to leave the store, then robbing them, sometimes at gunpoint in their own driveways as they unload their groceries. the attacks have been happening generally in the evening hours and while none of the victims has had serious injuries, in one case authorities say a woman was thrown to the ground before one of the thieves made off with her purse. police have onl

triple a says regular unleaded now averages $3:41 a gallon. in the bay area we're paying $3.48 a gallon. the national average is $3.12 raising concern it could top $4 a gallon by summer. >>> the independent review panel investigating the san bruno pipeline explosion continued its first interim report today deciding not to reproduce the federal investigation, rather continuing to let the national transportation safety board determine why specifically that pipe exploded. instead the panel will focus on the preventative efforts and response. the explosion killed eight people, destroying 38 homes. >>> and if you're interested in finding a job you might see fewer offerings in want ads these days. employers posted fewer openings but that news did not stop hundreds of people from bringing their resumes to a job fair sponsored in concord. >> i have looked for a job probably about two years. it's been -- i haven't worked since 2008. >> i know its a matter of time. so you just -- i think everybody needs to keep their head up. things will get better f yo

nationwide, regular unleaded is averaging $3.16 a gallon up 55 cents from a year ago. the cheapest gas in the lower 48 wyoming and missouri at $2.96. >> i've had to sacrifice food, rent just so i can go to work. >> reporter: while egypt, bahrain and yemen have very little oil to export, the fear is that unrest will spread to the countries on which america's economy dependses. >> there's a ton of i'll in saudi arabia, that's of greatest concern. we're going to see these protests erupt in saudi arabia. >> it's not just the middle east factor, only 9% of our oil comes from the persian gulf. the world's economies are also showing signs of recovery, with strong demand from china, india, even latin america, helping to drive gas prices higher. the forecast is for .330 a gallon by memorial day, with a worst case scenario of $3.75 to $4 a gallon later in the year. those are levels we haven't seen since 2008. that would make everything more expensive. already food and clothing prices are climbing. with jet fuel up 43% in one year, airline ticket prices have jumped 20 to $60 in t

the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded rose one and a half cents in the last two weeks. 3.12now the average price. analysts now say earlier forecasts of 3.50 to $4 by the summer is unrealistic. >>> good news for the earn in auto industry. ford says it's selling more vehicles so it's going to increase u.s. factory production. in san francisco today, ford's sales exec says the factory production will go up by 13% in the first quarter. >>> cannons booming, a 21-gun salute. fighters roaring overhead. how friends and colleagues remember the gipper on his 100th butter day. fee court is now in session. ♪ [ judge ] let me get this straight -- you changed flights in order to get home to your buddies for new year's. and i paid the difference in airfare... plus, i paid a 150-dollar change fee. oh, man! southwest would never do that. how did it cost you 150 dollars to change my ticket? your honor, will we be here very long? 150 bucks for a five-minute transaction?! kid, put it on your credit card and stop complaining. [ coughing ] guilty. [ male announcer ] don't pay a change fee on top

today, regular unleaded averaged $3.20 a gallon; a year ago, it was selling for $2.60 a gallon. but it's still a long way from 2008 highs, when crude came close to a record $150 a barrel and gas averaged well above $4 in some areas of the u.s. oil analyst sam margolin says the big wild card in global oil markets right now is whether the middle east turmoil spreads to saudi arabia. >> that's when concerns would really start to fuel about a shortage-- not just in europe, which counts on the libyan production more than anybody-- but in the u.s., as well, to which saudi arabia is a real important trade partner >> susie: what would political unrest in that nation do to prices? >> ha! how much? you're looking a ten million barrels a day. you guys tell me. that's a lot. i'm not saying that could happen, but the thought that it could would send futures higher. >> susie: still, there is some good news about domestic crude oil supply here in the u.s. in the last few years, it's grown nicely. >> not that many people are aware of that. but our production in texas and in north dakota and oth

according to aaa the average price of unleaded $3.18, up nation-wide. drivers in san francisco pay the most nation-wide $3.61 a gallon. drivers in oakland and san jose paying $3.57 a gallon. coupon clipping the on the rise but instead of cents off some consumers are getting dollars back by using those coupons, julie watts shows us the tricks of the trade. >> reporter: we all need drugstore items, medicine, shampoo, batteries which can add up to hundreds and thousands a year. but we met an extreme couponner who gets all those items for free and even gets the store to pay her. now she is sharing her tricks of the trade. >> these are $4 each, totally free. >> reporter: not only does extreme couponner claire williams get all her drugstore products for free, she often makes money on them. >> these are melatonin, i paid $1 a bottle i bought. >> reporter: there are items in this store we can walk in right now and buy for free. >> absolutely. >> reporter: might even make some money back. >> might make some back. >> reporter: i got to see this. she says it is co

. >> i took a picture, cost me $99 a chevron, but regular unleaded $99, i had to facebook it. >> reportert the hike is not because you're using more gas. >> the price increase has very little to do with our demand in the united states. the world demand for oil is quite strong. >> reporter: instead, it's because of revolts in libya, world oil traders are running scared that oil supplies will stop. so scared, investtors have coined a phrase, "fear premium." >> i don't believe it. i don't believe it. >> reporter: believe it. that's when prices rise on the fear an event will happen. >> it's just an excuse. >> reporter: perhaps when you consider that libya produces just 2% of the world's oil supply and the u.s. buys very little of that. >> they went up that much in a week? crazy. >> reporter: what's really going on? oil companies and traders are insulating their pockets against fears that revolts in libya will spread to other opec countries that the u.s. relies on, so that means you'll continue to pay the fear premium. >> i'm cheap on this motorcycle. >> reporter: well all smiles aside, analys

the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was 1.5 cents in the past two weeks.verage price is $3.12. san francisco drivers still pay the most, 3.35 a gallon but analysts now say earlier forecasts of 3.50 to four bucks per gallon by summer are unrealistic and supplies should keep prices down. we'll be right back. ,,,,,, ♪ stinky ♪ hefty ♪ stinky ♪ hefty ♪ stinky, stinky ♪ hefty, hefty, hefty [ announcer ] hefty bags with unscented odor block technology... help neutralize odors and stop the stinkies. ♪ stinky, stinky, stinky ♪ hefty, hefty, hefty breakfast for lunch. breakfast for dinner. with three new breakfast lovers dishes, who needs a break from breakfast? denny's. america's diner is always open.

last night, we found a station in pleasanton that was selling regular unleaded for $3 .63 a gallon. and it's affecting the plans of drivers now. >> i actually didn't fill it all the way up. >> so you're filling up just enough to get you to stockton? >> yes. >> pump prices have jumped here almost 20 cents since january, a 63-cent increase over this time last year. >>> time no 4:34. u.s. officials are communicating directly with somali pirates. they are shadowing the boat trying to make sure it doesn't reach somali soil. four americans are on board including a couple from santa monica. scott and jean adam retired to be missionaries and sail the world. their yacht was hijacked in the waters off oman. >>> a memorial tomorrow night for the two friends who drowned while trying to raft walnut creek. search crews found the bodies of 16-year-old matthew miller and 17-year-old gavin powell on sunday in a part of the creek that goes through concord. both were students at las lomas high school. the boys were wearing helmets but neither was wearing a life vest. >>> witnesses quickly rushed into

the national average price of a gallon of unleaded is now $3.13. and the most expensive, santa barbara, california, where drivers are dishing out $3.41 per gallon. drivers we talked to are starting to change their driving habits. >> maybe i don't go out tonight because, you know, i have to spend money on gas. >> i'm thinking of getting one of those electric cars or something. >> reporter: some experts are comparing today's prices to those in february of 2008. when prices began a five-month climb and reached an all-time high of $4.11 per gallon by the fourth of july. experts, like john hofmeister, say the next two years could be even worse. >> if we stay on the path we are on, we could see $5 gasoline toward the end of 2012. >> i won't spend $5 in gas. >> reporter: never? >> never. >> reporter: experts say the crisis in egypt has had an impact at the pump. >> any political turmoil is going to have an immediate psychological effect on oil price because oil hates uncertainty. >> reporter: and the events in egypt and all throughout the world for the ne

the triple a fuel gauge report lists the average unleaded at 3.13 a gallon. up by about 1.20 from two years ago. here in california, the figure is up from 2.93 a year ago. >>> and strong corporate earnings helping to lift the stock market today. the gainers out-paced losers, 3- 1, the dow finished with a 61- point gain to close at 12,288. the nasdaq closed 21 points higher at 2825. >>> and tonight, bardge docked in oakland. they floated it free to safety. it has been removed from the middle of the bay. it started to take on water yesterday. the captain decided to run the barge aground to keep it from sinking. they say only a gallon leaked into the water. >>> he has not been seen for 11 days now, and police in vallejo say this disappearance is suspicious, friends and family say they haven't seen or heard from robert maas since february 5. the dog was seen on that day in the river park area of vallejo and later came home dragging the leash. police say the fact that maas has not communitied with the family and friends is very unusual. >>> we have an angry ocean.

at more than $4 a gallon here are the latest figures from gas buddy.com the average for regular unleaded san jose $3.74 oakland $3.73 san francisco $3.76 these are .75¢s higher than this time last year. >> we don't get a lot of oil from libya, they says the a fear premium. >> domino effect a lot of it is on speculation. >> unfortunate. >>> with march madness just a few weeks away college basketball is starting to heat up. >> yesterday two bay area teens had a chance to lock up conference championships kim coyle will tell us what happened. kim. >> good morning stanford women blew out oregon 99 to 60 to clinch their 11th straight pack 10 title a little more snow in corvalis than the bay area, cal out scored oregon state and won by 11, alan crab lead all scorers with 26 points. >>> curry torn watching his alma mater, take on his son in top ranked duke seth curry turns it over. let the party begin. >> luke donald breezed into the finals match play championship took only 27 holes to reach moore and kutcher he has never trailed in his five match this is week he will take on the p ga champ with

in oakland and in san francisco a little higher at $3.51 for a gallon of regular unleaded. >> and the rest of the country is around $3 a gallon. >> we're the highest in the nation. >> yes, we are. hawaii comes close, too. >> lets check in with jeff. we don't have hawaii weather. it's cold and rainy? >>> it is. it's right where we should be. it seems unusual because we've gone weeks now with dry and unseasonably warm weather and just a week ago we had temperatures at record-setting levels in the 60s and 70s. while we welcome back the rainfall, north bay leading the pack with the most rain. 6800 there. san francisco, 1800. south bay and san jose, 400. a lot of you in the south bay where we need the rainfall, we didn't get there but tomorrow, more rainfall across the radar. that radar is dry, pretty much, from the north bay to south bay. we're still finding isolated showers in the north bay and san francisco. atmosphere is so moigs and across the east bay entering concord, a few showers. on interstate 680, not heavy rainfall but the roadways with slick with lots of oil on the roads becau

the average price for regular unleaded is slightly more than $3.12.ere in the bay a area. >> google, twitter, facebook, all play add big part. >> the three have been pretty quiet about. they don't want to mess up future business in the region so. they have been quiet till now. google's eric schmidt publicly praised his employee, the marketing manager who has come pral to the revolution. she made those comments in spain saying, quote, google is very proud. he wants to turn ekipt into the next silicon valley. secretary of state hillary clinton says the united states will fund projects that allow people to use the internet when their governments don't want them to. this is not a huge mousse. the bunding is in the tens of millions or what google makes in an hour. still it's important and second chin on the's major speech about internet policy. >> those who clamp down on internet freedom may be able to hold back their people's yearning for a while but not forever. >> the federal government at the same stim trying to shut down wikileak, if you listen to the

triple-a now says price for a regular unleaded gas in san francisco is 3 mt. 76 a gallon. that's up from 3.71 yesterday. in oakland drivers drivers are paying slightly less. and in the south bay, 3.72 a gallon. that's up from 3.67 on friday. nationwide, consumers are seeing a 6-cent increase in a gallon of gas yesterday. that's the biggest one-day surge in two years. that spiked being driven by the price of oil, which soared to $103 a barrel earlier this week. it settled back down to $98 by the ends of trading yesterday. industry analysts are blaming the volatile price of oil on the turmoil in the middle east and north africa. >>> iraq's largest oil refinery was attacked this morning. gunmen broke into the refinery about 150 miles out side of baghdad, attacked security guards and planted bombs. the bombs then exploded, started a fire, and forced the refinery to shut down. one guard was killed, and another was wounded. it was the second insurgent attack this month on iraq's oil sector. >>> defense secretary robert gates is speaking out against another large scale war involv

san francisco as usual had the highest price of an east area survey at $3.54 and average for unleaded. some analysts are predicting the nation could break the $4 mark sometime this summer. it was a record-setting day in the daytona 500. the most changes, the most cautions and the youngest driver ever to win the race. the race began with a salute to earnhardt senior. taxi out gordon and martin. brian newman spins out and the ensuing crash takes out darrell earnhardt, jr. trever bane who just turned 20 this weekend hangs on and becomes the youngest driver to ever win the daytona 500. it was just his second start. does he have a driver's license? i guess he does. 6:20 now. the smithsonian is asking you to get in the game. video games, that is. the prestigious museum is asking for the public's help to have video games that should be included in its first exhibit in the topic. the winning ones will be displayed at the museum next year as screen shots or short video clips. if you'd like to vote, we've got a link to the ballot on our website abc7news.com. just click on the "see it on tv" lin

the national average for a gallon of unleaded is now up to $3.33. that's up 17 cents in the past week according to aaa. analysts expect it to get worse with higher crude prices driven by political unrest in the middle east and africa. >>> federal and county health officials are investigating whether passengers were exposed to meseles after an infected person traveled on a flight from baltimore to denver and that flight went on to san diego where one case is reported. >>> "discovery" astronauts are sleeping in after docking took longer than usual. a platform was installed that will hold equipment. a spacewalk is planned for tomorrow. this is the last flight for the aging spacecraft which will retire when it returns. >>> radaronline is reporting that charlie sheen has passed an at home drug test they gave him. the troubled star of "two and a half men" took the test yesterday in front of three radar employees. sheen plans to write a tell-all book about his life on the set of his show and what led to the final implosion. he reportedly wants $10 million

last night, we found a station in pleasanton that was selling regular unleaded for 3.63 a gallon.t's affecting the plans of drivers now. >> i actually didn't fill it all the way up. >> reporter: so you're filling up just enough to get you to stockton? >> yes. >> pump prices have jumped here almost 20 cents since january, a 63-cent increase over this time last year. >> it's interesting. when i drove across the united states, how the prices get higher and higher heading west. ohio is cheap. >> welcome to california. >> it was under 3 bucks a gallon couple of weeks ago. >>> what apple shareholders will learn about steve jobs tomorrow. coming up. >>> and looking up, the transamerica building, we see blue skies, temperatures warming today in the mid- to upper 50s. ,,,,,,,,,,,, da dan: i had a biopsy and i had high-risk prostate cancer. i was depressed. i was shocked. sometimes cancer makes you feel very lonely. the doctors can do their best to cure the cancer, but it takes all of the other stuff to make you a whole person again. i've been given a second chance. announcer: at sutter hea

the average price for a gallon of unleaded is now $3.41. that's a 44-cent increase than this time last year. aaa tells us investors are nervous about the tension in the middle east and that's driving the price of crude oil up. egypt controls the suez canal, an important shipping route. california has the highest gas prices in the nation. >>> new at 6:00, a stunning reversal tonight in the firing of a veteran contra costa county prosecutor. an arbitrator has order the count toe immediately rehire michael gresset who was fired in 2009 after he was accused of raping a co-worker during a lunch break. the ruling backed the man's claim that the charges prout by the d.a.'s office were politically motivated. the arbitrator says the alleged victim cast doubt on the allegations when she failed to show up at a hearing despite agreeing to testify. the man is still facing criminal charges. the contra costa district attorney says it's unlikely gresset will return to his job. >> well, she was dragged 2,000 feet. a young san jose woman in the icu tonight a

. $3 .97 a gallon for unleaded at this gas station near the bay bridge. it's worse in other parts of the bay area up to $3 .99 a gallon we found out for regular gas and it's all because of upheaval in the middle east and north africa, the unrest fueling worries the oil supply would be cut off and the question, of course, is when will we hit $4 a gallon for regular and will we? university of california energy institute director borenstein says it will take a lot for that to happen. last time oil hit $4 a gallon, oil was $130 a barrel. some drivers are already paying more than $4 a gallon for premium gas. >> i live in the south bay. and it's about $4.10. >> reporter: what town? >> i live in sunnyvale. >> i have to pay. i have no other choice. i don't like to pay but i have to pay. >> reporter: now, the question, of course, is will this impact our economic recovery? some analysts are estimating that it could slow recovery by anywhere from .3 to .4%. so certainly having an impact there. >> thank you. i got rid of an suv about two or three years ago. now my ho

in some spots, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded right now can be as high as $4 a gallon. some drivers now leaving their suvs and using smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles even motorcycles. experts say, though, the price hikes are not because people are using more gas. that's what normally we see as the reason. >> the price increase has very little to do with our demand in the united states. the world demand for oil is quite strong. >> reporter: all right. so what is it? what's happening is that oil traders are worried that oil supplies will dry up. they have even coined that phrase fear premium. and it's being thrown around in the biz quite a bit, specifically oil companies and traders trying to pad their pockets. they are afraid that the revolution in libya will spread to other opec countries that the u.s. actually relies on, because california refineries do not use oil from libya. now, the last lundberg survey came out a couple of days ago and that had us with prices jumping a dime in the past week. the next one is coming out on sunday. we'll see where the numbers are.

the national average for a gallon of unleaded now $3.13.rices will peak this spring around $3.75 a gallon despite increased demand for gas worldwide. just in time for spring break. >>> well, here's a look at your thursday forecast. up to a foot of snow from billings and cheyenne to fargo and bismarck. another 2 feet of snow for colorado, utah, cascades and sierra range. heavy downpours from seattle down to san francisco. a very mild day east of the rockies. >> meanwhile, dallas hits 74. kansas city, 71. omaha, 65. 65 also in atlanta. 54 here in new york. yes. 47 in boston. 40s from seattle to salt lake city. upper 60s in phoenix. 56 in colorado springs. >>> speaking of new york, a new york city cabbie is being hailed for doing the right thing. he found over $100,000 in jewelry and cash -- jewelry and cash, rather, in the back seat of his cab this week. >> the owner had mistakenly left it there. by the time he realized it, the cabbie was already looking to return all that loot. >> and he did just that. reluctantly accepted $1,000 reward. the

according to the department of energy, the national average of an unleaded gallon is now $3.13. >> thisowest time of the year for prices. my fear is with spring coming, it could only get worse. >> reporter: the most expensive gasoline, that would be in santa barbara, california, where drivers are forking over $3.41 a gallon. for some it's crossed the threshold where we begin to make sacrifices elsewhere. >> well, maybe i don't go out tonight because i have to spend money on gas. >> reporter: some experts are comparing today's prices to hies elly 1 oy's prices to gasoline by the end of 2012, which they also fear could trigger another recession. all food that's delivered by truck, by plane, by train becomes more expensive. >> reporter: and then they're the question of egypt. oil industry speculators notoriously hate uncertainty, so instability in egypt, which controls the suez canal, isn't helping. some analysts believe we could be looking at $5 a gallon gasoline by the end of 2012, which they also fear could trigger another recession. rob and vinita? >>> an investigation is already under

. $3.23 a gallon for regular unleaded. folks in alaska and hawaii paying a lot more than that. $3.66 in alaska, $3.75 in hawaii. across the heartland, about $3.29 in the nation's midsection. in the lower 48, drivers in california are complaining the loudest and at $3.57 a gallon on average they have a right to. >> if you're just going to work and back alone you're getting hammered with these gas prices. it's killing people. >> i pray for democracy in the middle east and north african. >> reporter: while yesterday's average was $3.19 a gallon, it's well above that in many big cities. washington, d.c., $3.29. new york, $3.39. chicago, $3.38. seattle, $3.48. san francisco and los angeles close to $3.60 and likely to move higher. >> i'm sharon epperson. >> reporter: she says the libyan unrest has created a fear premium in the oil markets. >> $100 a barrel, the highest price we've seen in 2 1/2 years, is the concern the protest we're seeing will go to saudi arabia. >> reporter: that fear premium is pushing pump prices higher. i