More drivers running out of gas on the road

The rising price of gas appears to be leaving many drivers trapped on the side of the road, choosing to take a chance rather than filling-up.

Calls from drivers out of gas are up 25 percent compared to last year, according to AAA. That number is expected to keep going up as gas prices increase.

The Washington State Department of Transportation Incident Response Team also reports more “out of gas” calls. The IRT keeps a two gallon tank of gas in the bed of its trucks to help drivers
get to the nearest station. The idea is to keep the roads clear of disabled vehicles, but crews say they have to refill their spare tanks multiple times a day.

"I don't know if they have bad gas gauges or if they just don't pay attention," says Mike Rudig, Maintenance Lead Technician for IRT. "A lot of them are saying that we are life savers, they are happy to see us."

Running your vehicle on empty is not only risky, it can eventually damage your vehicle. (read more)