A drive along Fort Dale Road late Thursday night and early Friday morning told the tale. Gas prices have hit an all time high in the Camellia City and some motorists aren't too happy about it.

Comments from consumers at the pump early Friday morning found many feeling like they had been hosed.

In Greenville, the average price for a gallon rose to $2.45.

The national average for regular gas is $2.41. The highest price in the U.S. is $3.29 for regular in Calabasas, Calif. The bargain fuel price is $2.07 a gallon in Casper, Wyo.

Last year the average price of gas in Greenville was $1.95.

Nationwide fuel prices continue to rise and consumers are getting rather fed up with it.

&uot;This really sucks,&uot; Nashville native Troy Phillips said of ever-climbing fuel prices while pumping gas into his Chevy Tahoe at the Exxon on Fort Dale Road Friday morning. &uot;It is getting ridiculous! Our government keeps telling us that nothing can be done about it, but yet the little man is the one paying the price.

Those Washington fatcats from Bush right on down to our state leaders aren't paying out of their pockets.

It's us and it sucks."

Total tally for his fill up, $61.50.

A customer at a Greenville Chevron pump had just paid for $42 for fuel and was not in the mood to comment.

"You'll have to talk to someone else about this because if I get started, you won't be able to print what I've got to say," he said.

"I don't understand how we can control an oil rich country like Iraq and still have these prices.

And I can tell you that the next time I vote for someone, I'm going to vote for the person who helps ease this burden on me."

Economists suggest the following tips for conserving gasoline:

n Drive Sensibly: Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

N Observe the Speed Limit: Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.

Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.15 per gallon for gas.

Observing the speed limit is also safer.

N Remove Excess Weight: Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle’s weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

N Avoid Excessive Idling: Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.

N Use Cruise Control: Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

N Use Overdrive Gears: When you use overdrive gearing, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.