Gas Prices on the Rise - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Phebe Myars just spent nearly $60. "And you know what? I wasn't even on empty," she said.

Gas prices have shot up 9 cents over the past month, 32 cents from the same time last year.

"I fill up about three times a week, and lately it's been about $25 to $30 every time to fill up, and that comes to $200 to $300 per month," said Bambi Spyers.

"People feel the pain of gas prices very quickly," said Texas Tech Professor Harry Parker. He says supply isn't the problem. "There's ample oil to be produced, there's ample means to transport it, etc," he said.

So why the price hike? 

"I'm sure there's a bunch of political junk going on," said Myars.

According to Professor Parker, that's right on the money. "Political instability. Some of it accidental, some intentional, makes the price waffle," he said.

As the threat of war grows stronger, prices fluctuate more rapidly. At the Taylor convenience store at 82nd and Indiana, gas prices change so frequently that the numbers used to display them are pulled out of storage for easier access.

So if war does start, will prices goes up even more? "I think so, yes," said Spyers.

A situation for which Phebe Myars has some practical advice. "Well, I'm of the opinion it doesn't do any good to get upset, so why increase your blood pressure," she said.