Inexpensive gas is a link to a strong economy
Following WWII, the US made travel easier via the automobile with the creation of a network of roads going east and west and north and south. During the '50s the US really expanded and it was because of the economy and the new improved road system.
We really grew as a nation as did our need for more oil and gasoline. Gasoline consumption really grew and gas prices were quite low--based much on the number of gallons we needed. It was a supply and demand situation.
As the population further expanded, America's needs continued to grow. Oil and gas was critical to everything we did. We became the #1 transportation country in the world. Our economy permitted the purchase and ownership of not just one car, but several. I can remember when my own family became a two car family--ever though my mom didn't drive. We had a 59 Caddy and a 1961 Impala. My dad owned a service station in '61 and gas was a mere 27.9 for regular, 30.9 for extra and 31.9 for premium leaded.
When people in other countries reference the $7, $8 or higher per gallon it costs them, the first thing that comes to mind is the economy of the country they live it. The next is how large the country is in terms of roads and their overall transportation needs.
Clearly the price of European gas is much higher than in the US. Same is true in New Zealand and Australia. Yet these countries don't have the same road systems, the same number of cars, the equivalent distances to travel, and so on. They don't consume the amount of gas we consume.
Our prices are cheaper than theirs because of the volume of gasoline we purchase. As such, major prices increases have a traumatic effect on our life style and economy. Both go hand and hand.
I'm thankful that we don't pay $8 per gallon for fuel. And I do realize that if we did, the US would go into a deep depression that would effect just about everyone on the planet. The cheaper the cost of our transportation the stronger our economy and the more vitality we have.