After Pittsburgh police noticed a Hummer (yep, a Hummer... what else?) sitting conspicuously close to a five-hundred gallon tank of gas at a golf course, the vehicle suddenly took off. Considering that the top speed of a Hummer is right around one-hundred miles per hour, we can safely say that the driver was giving it all he had in an attempt to get away. The high-speed chase ended as the Hummer smashed into a tree and rolled several times in a nearby parking lot. The eighteen-year-old-driver sustained leg injuries which required a hospital stay and will face charges after being deemed healthy.

Sixty-eight gallons of gasoline were said to be found missing from the tank by the golf course superintendent. To recap: this story is further proof that:

1. Hummers are very expensive to fill up.
2. Gas thefts are on the rise in the face of record-high fuel prices.

[Source: WPXI News]

While there are a few winners (and many losers) as a result of geyser-like gas prices. One of the winners we suggest you may want to become acquainted with are the makers of locking gas caps, the largest of which is Stant. It's bad enough gas is almost as much as Kobe beef (mmm...Kobe beef) by weight, and you want to make sure that you are the one that takes motive advantage of your liquid investment.

According to a story in the New York Post, there has been a "surge" in reports of gas theft recently. Crooks are siphoning tanks of the flammable gold from coast to coast, 24/7. Even police cruisers are not safe from this thievery as evidenced by a recent order for 400 of the devices by the NYPD. Stant has seen their sales for this product shoot up 300 percent in the past year.

Besides the issue of theft, it is also a good idea to occasionally inspect your gas cap just to make sure it fits securely. According to the Stant website you could lose up to 22 gallons a year to evaporation due to a lost or run-over damaged cap. That's bad for the environment and your wallet. Locking caps go from $15 - $20 so pool your pennies and protect your precious petrol from petty pilferage.

[Source: New York Post]