My engine roars to life as I begin my ride to school. Suddenly, the familiar red light pops up on my dashboard, informing me, yet again, that I’m running on empty.

     With gas prices hovering around $4 per gallon, I’m not alone.

     Alyssa Douglas, who lives in Epsom and commutes 40 minutes to work at Market Basket in Hooksett, on top of attending extra-curricular activities at PA, has also found herself driving on an empty tank.

      “Sometimes I just didn’t have the money on me,” said Douglas. “I pray I wouldn’t need to push my car home.”

     According to AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report, the average gas price in America is $4.39 per gallon. And with gas prices rising due to conflicts in the Middle East and other world and national issues, many teenagers are finding ways to work around them in order to get their fix of gasoline.

     While working a minimum wage job at McDonald’s in Epsom, senior Kayla Magan is given $50 for gas from her parents because she drives her sister to school. However, once she graduates, in less than a month, she said she’s on her own.

     “It’s hard to afford gas given how far I live from the majority of my friends and from school,” said Magan.

     After paying for gas, she finds that she has “very little spending money.”

     “I basically dump every paycheck I get into my account to be used for gas,” said Magan.

     She’s not the only one.

     Ryan Murray, who delivers pizza for Pizza Market in Pembroke, said he drives around 150 miles a week for his job.

     “I’m constantly filling up my tank,” he said.

     Today, when a teen receives their license, they also receive a white elephant; with the new privilege of driving comes the responsibility and expense of gasoline. As a result, many teens are adjusting their lives—work, school and social—around the rising gas prices.

     In order to save money, Murray said he tries “to carpool with a friend whenever possible” when going to the gym.

     Douglas has adapted her schedule to going “out to places when it’s a necessity” like to school, work and lacrosse practice.

     “My friends who live in Pembroke allow me to go over after school in order to save me from driving all the way home and back for practice or work,” said Douglas.

    Many teens are in a similar cycle of working to spend their paychecks on the gas to get there, fueling the nation’s addiction. With the restrictions gas prices are putting on teens, sacrifices must be made.

      “During the summer, I love [going to] the beach, but with the prices on the rise, I’ll probably hardly step foot in the water,” said Douglas.

     In the end, we may all be getting a little too familiar with that red light on our dashboards.