The free way
California drivers face some of the highest gas prices in the U.S., and in turn they have come up with one of the most creative ways to reduce spending.
The idea takes advantage of a highway assistance program in California that provides help to motorists who find themselves broken down on the state’s busy freeways. The repair trucks that come to help also are equipped to provide a free gallon of gas to cars that have simply run dry.
With that fact in mind, some motorists have begun to deliberately run out of gas on the highway just so they can take advantage of this program. A few have even discovered that if they never pay for more than a few gallons of gas at a time, they’ll be able to accept a free gallon from the state fairly frequently.
In fact, one towing company that was contracted to participate in the program reported dealing with a man who managed to run out of gas on the highway every single morning.
Time for a trade-in
Of course, most states don’t hand out free gas. So other motorists are using gas prices as an excuse to transition from four wheels down to just two.
That’s right, to the chagrin of mothers and wives nationwide, the American Motorcycle Association reports that sales of motorcycles and scooters were up 8% last year, and 35% of its members say they intend to ride more this summer because of gas prices.
But while two wheels may beat four at the pump, they usually don’t win in a collision. So before you get the waist taken out on those old leather chaps, be aware that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that while fatalities in passenger cars have dropped 2% in the last year, motorcycle deaths have increased 7.7%, and have doubled overall in the past decade.
Last resort
But what if you don’t live in California, and you can’t afford to buy a motorcycle because you are nine months into an 84-month lease on a new Cadillac Escalade? Simple: Burn the sucker up.
Investigators are finding that more and more debt-weary SUV owners are opting to pay someone to torch their gas guzzlers in order to get out of their lease.
A typical scenario would begin with a car owner calling a dealership hoping to trade in their vehicle for something less expensive and more efficient. The finance manager puts them in touch with an arsonist who tells them to leave the car parked somewhere with the keys in the ignition and money in the glove box.
After the arsonist collects his money and sets the vehicle on fire, the owner can report it stolen and then sit back while their insurance company deals with the remaining amount owed on the lease.
Authorities are running sting operations in order to cut down on this type of fraud, but they say it tends to spike every time gas prices rise. And, needless to say, the end result is higher premiums for the rest of us.
Vehicle arson is nothing new, and investigators have uncovered some real doozies. Years ago, a car salesman in Texas was arrested for offering a similar service, which he referred to as a “rotisserie program.” And elsewhere in the state, two students were arrested for burning down their teacher’s car in exchange for passing grades.
