Gas prices hitting drivers hard

Bumpy roads and higher gas prices will likely take a hefty toll on your car and your wallet. AAA expects North Carolina driving costs to jump nearly $700 per driver this year thanks to the rise in gas prices.

Drivers are paying an average of 75 cents more per gallon than this time last year. It’s causing an unexpected rise in the total cost to own your car, causing many people to cut back elsewhere.

“It kind of takes away from your vacation time, your family time, you know you have to shorten your vacations, you don’t have the extra money to go places like you planned to,” Mike McGirt of Wilmington said.

The total costs include insurance, maintenance, gasoline, tires, taxes, registration, depreciation, and finance charges based on driving 15,000 thousand miles a year.