This post is part of a series chronicling news coverage of rising prices in the United States. See more here.
WILX Michigan reports on consumers cutting back summer travel due to higher gas prices: “You got to do what you got to do to live”
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From a May 17, 2026, video uploaded to the website of WILX
RILEY CONNELL (ANCHOR): A consumer alert tonight with gas prices costing drivers more than just money as a holiday weekend fast approaches. Good evening and thanks for joining us. I'm Riley Connell.
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As of today, the average per gallon cost of gas in Michigan is $4.80 according to GasBuddy.
News 10's Bobby Cushing is in the studio to tell us what it means for your summer travel plans. Hey, Bobby.
BOBBY CUSHING (REPORTER): Yeah. Good evening, Riley. According to AAA, nearly 40,000,000 Americans are expected to drive over Memorial Day weekend, including more than 1,000,000 people in the state. But with gas prices remaining higher than most drivers would like, some are planning on cutting back their summer travel. For the past few months, drivers have been cautiously watching the price of the pump continue to tick up.
Lansing resident Peter Naylor says luckily for him, he drives a fuel efficient car, but his girlfriend isn't as lucky.
PETER NAYLOR: My girlfriend, she drives something that gets way worse mileage, and she has family in, like, another state that she would want to go and travel, and she's looking at it going, I gotta pay almost $80 just to go and visit them.
CUSHING: Even though Naylor is able to get more miles out of his tank, it doesn't mean he's thrilled about how much he's paying.
NAYLOR: But I am very conscious of the fact that, you know, I look at what I'm paying for gas, and that hurts. I am I'm not thrilled about that.
CUSHING: James Long, another Lansing resident, says he's cutting back on driving and missing time with family.
JAMES LONG: We got a family unit coming up. I probably won't go there. You know, just you got to do what you got to do to live.
CUSHING: He says this year, gas prices just aren't cooperating with what he wants to do.
LONG: I did a family reunion. It was about 5 or $600. Now it's like 1,200 to go.
CUSHING: And he's not alone. Diesel prices in Michigan hit an all time high just days ago, and regular gas prices are up nearly dollar in the past month and up more than a dollar fifty since last year. Long says he's certainly feeling the pain at the pump and the time away from family.
LONG: It's really hard, you know, to to go here from here to Alabama, here to Mississippi, driving is really hard.
CUSHING: Now experts at Michigan State University say there's potential for gas prices to continue to rise even higher than they have through the summer.