Obama talks fuel prices with AAA

3/27/2012

After a recent speech on U.S. energy policy, President Obama sat down with representatives of the motor club AAA in order to field questions about the current high gas prices and what the country hopes to do to lower them.

According to AAA, gas prices are currently at a nationwide average of $3.89, a 31-cent increase from this time last year. Obama told the motor club that he hopes alternative energy will offer a way forward in the future for the country to use less gasoline.

"The most important thing I can do as the President is not to simply focus on tomorrow," Obama told the news source. "It's focusing on getting America properly aimed toward our goal of continuing to reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

The President has long been a champion of electric vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, saying that the country needed to get over their fear of running out of a charge. He also pointed to recent initiatives to add more charging stations around the country and increase the federal tax credit on electric cars to $10,000.

One way for drivers to improve their fuel economy is through auto maintenance. Inflating tires to the proper pressure level and taking the car in for a tune-up have both been shown to help with fuel economy.