Filling up at the pump is costing a little less lately as gas prices have dropped by 30 to 40 cents per gallon. Gas prices change due to the stock market, OPEC, the current state of the oil industry, and even the amount of gas being bought. These new prices have affected students, teachers, and community members.

“I am very sensitive to the gas price fluctuations,” engineering teacher Brian Lidington said. “I drive 60 miles each way to school and the lower gas prices in the last couple weeks have meant about 20 bucks a week savings.”

Gas stations themselves have also benefited from these changes.

“It affects us because people are buying more because they overfill their tanks,” McKinney Racetrack employee Will Bird said.

However, not everyone has been impacted by these new prices. Often times students don’t have to pay for their own gas, and instead their parents pay for them.

“I only started to notice when my dad told me where and where not to get gas,” senior Meredith Bergwall said. “I also noticed the other night as I was getting gas at 7-11 which is where I usually get my gas.”

Even though some students haven’t been affected much, the families of the students who are paying, have noticed the lower prices.

“They haven’t affected me as much as they have affected my parents,” Bergwall said. “They pay for my gas, and since I get really good gas milage, the lower prices keep it from being a pain to fill up.”

Paying less for gas is not the only reason students benefit from the lower prices.

“I know it affects how much I am allowed to drive,” junior Meghan Riddle said.

Even though prices seem extremely cheap now, just a few years ago, they were even lower.

“I get excited that they have dipped below $3.00 a gallon, but then I think only a few years ago it was $1.50,” Lidington said. “The general trend is up for gas and all the energy we use.”

Gas prices can be hard to predict, but they do follow a distinct pattern.

“Honestly, they go in trends,” Bird said. “They will drop and then slowly raise depending on the market.”