AMERICANS could be handed a ticket and fined hundreds of dollars as a punishment for running out of gas.
A law was passed which makes it a misdemeanor to run out of fuel in Youngstown, Ohio.
If you run out of fuel while traveling, then you could be handed a ticket and fined.
Therefore, it's recommended that Americans check their fuel gauge before starting a journey.
And, you should check the range function on your vehicle’s computer to see how many miles are left in the tank and plan trips accordingly.
You can make fuel last longer by driving at a slower speed, removing excess weight from your vehicle, and ensuring your tires are inflated.
Americans should also keep their cars regularly serviced as mechanics will spot any issues that might make your vehicle consume more fuel than required.
It comes as gas stations along the East Coast were forced to shut down due to fuel shortages following the Colonial Pipeline cyber hack.
The 5,500 mile Colonial Pipeline, which transports 2.5million barrels of gas per day between Texas and New Jersey, was shut down on Friday evening after a ransomware attack was launched.
The pipeline transports roughly 45 percent of all fuel used on the East Coast.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in a bid to minimize disruption.
Motor vehicle fuel regulations have been temporarily suspended to ensure sufficient fuel supplies throughout the state, ABC13 reports.
At least two gas stations in Tallahassee, Florida were out of action on Monday evening according to Bloomberg, and another in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, had about two dozen cars waiting to get some gas.
An employee at the Elizabethtown Marathon gas station told the outlet that stations all over town were dealing with similar back-ups.
Motorists in Atlanta took to social media to complain about not being able to get gas after trying multiple stations.
Energy expert Patrick de Haan, who runs the site Gas Buddy Tracker, said that around five per cent of stations in Virginia were running empty
A Russian crime group named "DarkSide" is allegedly behind the ransomware attack that led to the chaos.
DarkSide targets large corporations for ransom by capturing the victim's confidential data and threatening to leak it if the ransom isn't paid.
It is not known what the Colonial Pipeline ransom is, if it is being negotiated, or if it has been paid.
Last night, Newt Gingrich branded the cyber hack an "act of war" and said Joe Biden should be authorized to "order the killings of anybody overseas" who was found to be behind the attack.
Colonial remained shut down through the weekend, leading to a spike in gas prices.
But the company hopes to "substantially" restore operational service by the end of the week.
The national average retail gasoline price already rose to $2.967 a gallon on Monday, an increase of 2.4 percent from Friday, according to AAA.
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