With gas prices what they are, it’s no surprise that people are reluctant to fill gas tanks. It’s being noticed too. From the Hour:

Troopers noticed a dramatic jump in the number of vehicles that ran out of gas during the December snowstorms, and a local AAA branch reports an increase in similar service calls in the last three months of 2007.

“People are riding around with less gas in their tanks,” State Police spokesman William Tate said. “When they don’t expect to sit idle on the highway behind a crash or wait in the snow for a plow, they run out of gas. It was an eye-opener to see how many were stranded.”

The state’s Department of Transportation’s CHAMP vehicles, or Connecticut Highway Assistance Motorist Patrol, have been dispatched numerous times to provide a few dollars’ worth of gasoline to those who run out, just enough to get them to the nearest exit.

source: The Hour, More drivers run on empty to avoid high gas prices, by Associated Press, January 28, 2008