Clay Ingram, public relations manager for AAA of Alabama, said consumers can fight high gasoline prices by reducing the demand for fuel.
1. Use public transportation, organize a car pool, shop online, consolidate errands into one trip.
Hauling a lot of cargo makes a car heavier and reduces gas mileage.
5. Consider trading in your vehicle for something that's more fuel-efficient.
An activity as simple as cutting the lawn or as laid back as a cross-country trip aboard a 38-foot Winnebago Adventurer requires gasoline.
The fact that recreational vehicles can cost more than $150 to gas up doesn't seem to be stopping Montgomery-area residents from buying them.
"We're running 25 percent ahead of last year," said Marlin Ingram, owner of the RV center on Troy Highway that bears his name.
"The gas prices are crippling a lot of independent truckers," said Donald Williams, terminal manager for Brown Trucking Co. in Montgomery.
Nationwide, diesel fuel averaged $2.24 per gallon Thursday, according to the U.S. Energy Information Association.
Retirees who make deliveries part time to earn extra cash are also hurt by rising prices at the pump.
"We use a lot of independent contractors and of course we've had to increase what we pay them," said Ray Bodiford, owner of Executive Couriers of Montgomery.
While people who use the highways for business are groaning about prices, businesses that rely on people who use the roads for pleasure are more optimistic.
"We feel that Alabama is well-positioned in the environment of rising gas prices because we have been marketing to potential tourists within a 500-mile radius of the state," said Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel.
Cab drivers, who need a city ordinance to raise rates, are also hurting.