RICHMOND, Va. --
It's another summer of pain at the pump.
Gas prices are climbing across the nation, with AAA reporting a national average of $3.75 a gallon for regular gas.
In Virginia, the average price is about $3.60 a gallon.
Driver Daisy Maupin is getting creative to save money during the price spike.
"I don't even really drive my car," Maupin said. "I ride a segway scooter. Ever since gas prices have been going up, I think I've put like 600 miles on it."
Zach Knettle, who traveled to Richmond from Baltimore for the Cook Out 400 race over the weekend, said he had to keep mileage in mind before his trip.
"This is my wife's car and it's a little bit cheaper on gas, because I drive a big truck for work and I have to put the more expensive gas in it, so she let me borrow it this weekend," Knettle said. "It was very nice of her."
AAA says the steep increase in price over the last week is the sharpest the nation has experienced in the last eight months, due in part to rising oil prices. In April, OPEC cut barrel production by about 2 million barrels a day.
Extreme heat across the country has also put a pause on production, as some refineries have had to undergo maintenance due to the high temperatures.
"Extreme heat can cause disruptions, things like power outages," said Patrick De Haan of Gas Buddy. "That has resulted in some refineries that have experienced outages which impacts, very quickly, the amount of gasoline they're able to produce."
Over the weekend, one of the largest power grid operators in the country that covers 13 states and serves Dominion Energy, issued an emergency alert, asking plants to run at full capacity to meet demand.
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