LA drivers get creative as surging gas prices threatens love affair with the car

Shop around, coast downhill, band together - drivers tell of how they're dealing with the costliest gas in the US

Jack Nooney has pretty much made peace with the traffic since moving to Los Angeles five years ago, but recent soaring gas prices have certainly added another layer of insult to his daily commute. The musician and full-time grocery deli employee drives from his San Fernando Valley apartment to Santa Monica daily. While it's just nine miles each way, with LA traffic that often equates to a whole gas-burning hour.

Nooney, who makes $20/hour, says it's become glaringly clear that fuel costs will eat up more of his already tight budget. Angelenos are now paying on average nearly $5.90 a gallon - and some stations are charging a shocking $8 a gallon. The outsized prices are directly related to the Iran war, which has created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, according to the International Energy Agency.