Running on empty: With less in tank, more get stranded

Dawn Pellas, CNN

Tools

By Tiffany Griffin

Story Created: Jun 3, 2008 at 10:13 AM EST

Story Updated: Jun 3, 2008 at 10:31 AM EST

There's no denying it: filling up your gas tank hurts. And the pain at the pump has a lot of drivers running on empty.

But that could end up costing you more in the long run.

At the AAA call center in north Jersey, calls from drivers — stranded with no gas — come in so often it’s hard to keep up.

Executive Vice President David Hughes pulled the numbers. In May 2007, AAA in north Jersey got just over 1,400 calls.

"It's a surprisingly greater number than what I expected,” said Hughes.

In May 2008 that number nearly tripled to more than 3800.

Maria Novak of Paterson admits she's guilty.

"I've been letting it go way down, till I'm driving on gas fumes,” said Novak.

If you're guilty of letting your gas gauge get down to ‘E’, it could end up costing you more than just the price of gas to fill up your tank. It could hurt your car in the long run.

"It's trying to suck up gas but there's nothing there. Whatever dirt is left at the bottom of the tank could scratch the stuff inside the engine — not good,” said Hughes.

J & M tow truck driver Joey Laborda says that could cost drivers big bucks in repairs. It could also be dangerous.

"They think they have enough gas to make it and they don't. They die right in the middle of the road,” said Laborda.

Now that she knows the risks, Novak says she'll just have to try harder.

“With the gas prices today, it’s hard to fill up your tank when you need it.”

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