February 16, 2000 - Gas prices began to go on the rising trend in the year 2000, back when consumers complained that $1.50 was too much per gallon. (Photo by Chris Hondros)

September 12, 2000 - Gas prices don't fall off after the driev season, and prices hovering around $1.75 start popping up all over the U.S. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Newsmakers)

June 15, 2000 - High traffic areas in the midwest like Chicago and Milwaukee see prices above $2 consistently.  Gas was at $1.61 nationwide at this time, according to the American Automobile Association. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Newsmakers)

April 24, 2001 - Gas prices over $2 became more and more common in 2001 (Photo by Tim Boyle/Newsmakers)

January 17, 2002 - One of the last times Americans would see gas below $1 is in 2002, when it was down 44 cents from 2001. It was a pattern of slow and steady declines at retail pumps that could be attributed to a few factors, one of which includes a struggling economy through a period of flat economic growth. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

April 9, 2002 - Gas comes back down in 2002, but begins to rise again after Iraq issues a 30-day suspension of oil exports. (Photo by/Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

MARCH 13, 2003: Gas prices at $3.19-4.29 are on display at a Texaco station in El Cajon, California. The unusually high prices are due to the prospect of war with Iraq and interruptions in crude oil shipments from Venezuela. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

JUNE 23, 2003: 2003 sees a steady rise in prices to an average of just over $1.50 nationwide after three months of declines. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

MARCH 1, 2004: Gasoline prices near the three dollar mark are seen at a Shell service station in San Francisco. Gas prices have jumped significantly in California, where many cities have seen increases of 20 cents or more. The national weighted average price of gasoline, including taxes, at self-serve pumps was about $1.72 for regular (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

JUNE 22, 2004:  The average price of gasoline in the U.S. falls for the fourth week in a row. Across the nation price for regular unleaded gas dropped to $1.94 per gallon, the lowest price since the begining of May. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images) 

SEPTEMBER 03, 2005: Gas prices nearing the 4 dollar mark are listed at a Mobil service station. Pump prices continued to surge in September, up 25 percent in a week from levels that had already broken records surging prices well over $3 a gallon in many parts of the country. The average price for a gallon of regular jumped up 16 cents in 24 hours to $2.867. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

AUGUST 14, 2006: Some prices over $4 are no longer a fear, they are a reality. The Lundberg Survey results released showed Chicago had the highest gasoline prices in the nation, averaging 3.29 per gallon at this time. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

SEPTEMBER 27, 2006: The lowest gas in the country dropped to around $1.80, shown here, after a dramatic uptick to over $4 in other parts of the country earlier in the year. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

JANUARY 12, 2007:  Despite crude oil prices dropping nearly 15 percent since the beginning of 2007, gas prices remain in what was still considered high at the time around $2.50 (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

APRIL 23, 2007: Gas prices across the United States increased more than 8 cents over the past two weeks, raising the national average to $2.87 per gallon of regular unleaded, and $4 gas began popping up yet again. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

JUNE 10, 2008: Gas prices recently reached a record national average of more than $4 per gallon, and skyrocket over $4.50 in many areas. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

JUNE 23, 2008: As the summer cotinued, gasoline prices continued to rise as the national average for regular unleaded is at a new record high of $4.10 per gallon, and prices over $5 were not unheard of in many parts of the U.S. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

 DECEMBER 16, 2008: As recently as just four years ago, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline fell to $1.66 per gallon as oil remained near $45 a barrel and prices around $1.50 were common (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

MARCH 18, 2009: A report by the Labor Department shows that consumer inflation was up by 0.4 percent in February led by the rising cost of gasoline, and had prices back up over $2 as the norm. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

MAY 12, 2010: The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded is currently about $2.90 nationwide and prices around $3 began showing up again. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

DECEMBER 23, 2010: The national average price for a gallon gas is above $3 for the first time since October 2008. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

FEBRUARY 07, 2011:  The average price of a gallon of gas in the United States is at $3.13 a gallon for self-serve, regular, with prices over $3.50 returning (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

APRIL 27, 2011:  The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in California increased 1.2 cents to $4.217 getting closer to the all time high of $4.588. The rest of the nation sees prices over $4 regularly again. (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)

MARCH 13, 2012: A sign shows gas prices over five dollars a gallon for all three grades. According to AAA the average price of gas has climbed three tenths of a cent nationwide as a result of high oil prices and tensions tied to Iran's nuclear program. $5 gas is no longer uncommon in some parts of the U.S. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

MARCH 16, 2012: Gas prices can now routinely be over $4, and consumers have to search far and wide to make sure they're saving money. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)