Nowadays it seems as though no one really cares much about the fuel efficiency of their vehicles (unless, of course, the people in question work at an OEM and need to meet regulations that may, in the U.S., at least, be becoming less of an issue, so these people may not care much either).

After all, the price at the pump isn’t all that high, at least so far as memory serves.

But it seems as though prices are ratcheting up, but perhaps in a way that doesn’t seem all that onerous. Yet.

According to GasBuddy, during the week preceding March 19, 2018, gas prices in Detroit rose 7.8 cents per gallon compared to the previous week to an average $2.63 per gallon.

While less than a dime isn’t much, it should be pointed out that they’ve found that the price is 14.6 cents higher than a month ago.

And 31.1 cents per gallon compared with a year ago.

Looked at nationally, things are going north, as well.

According to Patrick DeHann, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, “The national average now stands at its highest level in over a month and is likely to continue moving higher in the weeks ahead as demand continues to recover from the winter blues and the transition to summer gasoline kicks into high gear.”

And here’s the real kicker: DeHann continued, “Overall, gas prices this spring will come in some 10-25% higher than a year ago, removing billions of dollars from other areas of the economy that will instead be funneled to the pump.”

Billions of dollars.