AAA Carolinas: Travel costs jump 11 cents a mile

By Candace Jarrett
Morning News Reporter
Published: May 19, 2008

South Carolina motorists will pay an average of 58 cents for every mile they drive their car in 2008 — an increase of 11 cents per mile since 2007 and the largest one-year increase ever, according to AAA Carolinas.

“The price of gas is the most uncontrollable factor in operating costs for motorists,” David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas, said in a press release. “Driving less miles will actually increase the cost per mile driven because two-thirds of the dollars spent in operating a motor vehicle are fixed, but a person’s out-of-pocket expenses will be less.”

The costs are expected to go up as gasoline prices increase because gasoline prices are the most unpredictable component of a vehicle’s operating expenses, Parsons said.

Of the 58 cents a mile in driving costs, AAA calculated 17 cents are operating costs and includes gasoline, maintenance and tires.

On Thursday, the average cost of gasoline in the Pee Dee was $3.58, with it peaking at $3.64 at some stations. At those prices, Parsons said, it translates to an extra cost of more than $1,668 for a person driving the average mid-size car 15,000 miles.

Fuel also has an adverse affect on driving cost because it drives up the prices of everything else associated with a vehicle — such as the cost of the vehicle itself and motor vehicle insurance. Driving costs also affect how vehicle depreciation is calculated.

According to the AAA study car prices have risen by more than $2,000 in the past year.

In a cause and effect situation, state license and registration fees and property taxes are more expensive because the cost of the car is increased.

The depreciation rate of an automobile on average, according to the study, is 26 cents per mile for motorists who drive 15,000 miles each year, although it varies based on whether the owner drives more or less miles.

Steve Kiser of Santee stopped Wednesday afternoon at the Pilot Travel Center on U.S. 52 to refuel his red Dodge pickup truck with regular unleaded gasoline.
“Sixty dollars, wow, I’ve never put that much in my tank,” he said. “I’m in a position where, normally, I don’t have a whole lot, but I went to Fayetteville (N.C.) ... .”

Kiser said he hadn’t paid attention to the effects of gasoline prices on all aspects of his truck, but as he finished pumping the $67 of gasoline, he thought and paused.

“If I ever began having to do a lot of driving, I’ll probably just switch to a motorcycle,” he said. “Yeah, I’d really just have to park it (the truck).”

Carol Gifford, public relations manager for AAA Carolinas, said AAA’s calculation of driving costs is based on a person who drives an average of 15,000 miles a year and buys unleaded gasoline. She said the figures are different for minivans, trucks and sport utility vehicles.

“Separate calculations were done for sport utility vehicles,” she said in a press release, “which would cost $11,252 a year to own and operate ($2,487 more than the average sedan) and for minivans, which would cost $10,354 a year to own and operate ($1,589 more than the average sedan).”

There are some ways, however, to cut down on all vehicle-operating expenses. According to Ford Motor Co., driving at steady speed not only increases fuel-economy, but it also has a positive effect on exhaust emissions, along with decelerating smoothly and checking tire pressure. Keeping tires properly inflated to the recommended pressure alone can reduce the average amount of fuel usage by 3 to 4 percent.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates a 10- to 15-percent improvement in fuel conservation by driving 55 instead of 65 mph, along with maintaining a steady speed and using cruise control on the highway to decrease gas pedal activity. Two pamphlets to help motorists keep track of their driving costs and their gasoline costs titled, “Your Driving Costs,” and “A Gas Watcher’s Guide,” are available online and by calling AAA Carolinas at (704) 569-7883.