Families are having to choose which journeys they can make in the car because of the rise in the cost of fuel.
Petrol has gone above the €2 a litre mark this week following the EU's decision to reduce its dependence on Russian oil suppliers.
It means some families face paying up to €500 more a year just to keep their car on the road.
The Taoiseach has warned consumers that we are now in a "new era" of high energy prices and says there will be no further Government measures ahead of October's budget to help hard pressed householders
Paddy Comyn is head of communications with the AA and says there are steps the Government can take to ease the crisis.
"There are people who are now starting to make decisions about what journeys they take, be it for taking care of elderly relatives or bringing the kids to and from school because of the increased price in fuel.
"The government did reduce the duty it was pretty much absorbed straight away. Is there more scope to do that again and potentially VAT, it would have an instant effect, but there doesn't seem to be an appetite to do that."
