U.S. gas prices have hit a four-month high with 32 straight days of increases at the pump bringing misery to spring breakers and job hunters.

The Automobile Association of America said Monday that the national average for a gallon of regular is $3.73 -- 43 cents more than a month ago -- with prices topping $4 in California and Hawaii.

"It's become the perfect storm," AAA spokeswoman Nancy White said.

White and other experts blamed a series of factors for the uptick that started in mid-January:

-- Some refineries are switching over from winter to summer fuel, which is more expensive to produce.

-- A Hess refinery in New Jersey that supplies 7.5 percent of the Northeast's gas is closing.

-- Midwinter maintenance has led some refineries to go offline temporarily.

-- Demand for gas is up, fueled in part by the return of more people to working.

The price hikes come at a bad time, however, for Americans who are still out of work or facing smaller paychecks because of higher payroll taxes.

"Try the bad gas prices while trying to find a job," one unemployed driver vented on the Facebook page for GasBuddy.com, which tracks fuel prices around the nation.

Patrick DeHaan, an analyst with the website, said many cities have seen increases of 8 cents to 20 cents in just the past week. "This is what we usually see in late winter, early spring, but prices have started to rally two months earlier than usual," he said.

He said his firm's unscientific user surveys suggest that the pinch at the pump could lead to less travel over spring break in March and April and changes in plans for Memorial Day and even the summer.

"There are people predicting that it will go over $5 a gallon," DeHaan said. "I don't believe that's possible, but it shows how concerned motorists are."

On the Facebook page, many posters were worried that the rise in gas prices could cause an economic meltdown.

"When you raise prices on gas people will stop spending money because they need to get back and forth to work and pay their bills each month," one wrote.

"If it's this high right now, imagine what it's gonna be here in a few months!" another fretted.

White of AAA said that based on historical trends, prices will likely continue to rise into the warmer months and driving season, but not at the same pace they did in 2011 and 2012, when developments in Libya and Iran caused big spikes.

"That is not so much part of the picture right now," she said. "But that could change should something else happen overseas."

This story was originally published on Mon Feb 18, 2013 3:24 PM EST

A single pothole in California damaged more than two dozen cars in one day during a recent storm.

“It’s not safe for drivers out there. Everyone is getting into accidents,” Nisha Jethi, one of 25 drivers who had their car damaged by the crater on Highway 4 near Pittsburg, in the Bay Area.

The massive crater on the road left her with a flat tire, two busted headlights, and a day of lost wages.

Jethi said she intends to add her name to a list of roughly 1,500 local drivers who file damage claims with the state each year.

Despite the high cost to the state, it can take several months before Caltrans, the agency responsible for highway maintenance, is able to repair a pothole after it has been reported, according to an investigation by NBC Bay Area.

Caltrans estimates that it should take 10 days on average for maintenance crews to fill a pothole identified by drivers through a service request. But when NBC Bay Area filed its own request, Caltrans took more than six weeks to fill the potholes identified on Highway 101 in San Francisco.

Other drivers are experiencing even longer delays.

‘A waste’
Caltrans records show that the agency has paid more than a million dollars to Bay Area drivers filing claims since 2009.

“Those are dollars that could be used for new roads and making sure the right kind of infrastructure is in place for safety,” said Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover. “When you are paying out those types of claims, it is a waste.”

Although Caltrans denied NBC Bay Area’s requests to speak with a maintenance manager, the agency reiterated the importance of safety in a statement: “Safety is our number one concern as we repair guardrail, median barriers, and potholes on California’s busy highways.”

Records show that there had been several requests for service along Highway 4 in Pittsburg earlier this year. That was before Jethi’s car was damaged from a pothole, which was made worse by heavy rain the day the 25 cars were taken out.

“It’s their problem. If something is messed up in your house, it’s your responsibility to fix it,” Jethi said.

The pothole that damaged Jethi’s car has since been filled.   She says she’ll be sending the bill for her damages to Sacramento.