These days, the sounds that have become synonymous with driving—the revving of the engine, music from the dashboard radio, wind rushing through the sunroof—are drowned out by a quieter but altogether disturbing noise: the ticking of the gas pumps as the dollars accumulate to unprecedented sums. Your tank can’t tell the difference, but it sure is hard for you to swallow.

With the national average hovering right around $4 per gallon, rising gas prices are a topic of universal complaint and heated debate throughout the country. The short-term effects – more expensive vacations, busted budgets, and slumping gas station sales – are no match for the longer – term ramifications many analysts predict for our already faltering economy.