Pa. and N.J have caught up with at least 12 other states in requiring residents to dig deeper to keep cars on the road. AAA reported yesterday that one gallon of gasoline in the Commonwealth will now set purchasers back an average $5.

That’s one Abraham Lincoln exiting the wallet for every gallon chronicled by a rapidly whirring digital pump display.

The official price, a $5.03 average, represents a new high, breaking a prior record price set as recently as March. That per-gallon pain’s charge stood as a budgetary outlier for 14 years.

If local commuters think they can save some financial resources by gassing up in N.J. or Del., that’s a hard No as well. Average prices there aren’t much better: N.J.: $4.99, Del. $4.97. Plus bridge tolls.

Nationally, each gallon that glugs into a tank runs +/- $4.95.

In an effort to supply at least some actionable measures, AAA recommends the following tactics to maximize fuel:

• Ensure proper engine maintenance; its absence can affect fuel consumption
• Keep tires inflated properly
• Buy the proper octane, as checked by the owner’s manual
• Keep idling to a minimum
• Drive the speed limit
• Curtail aggressive driving
• Consolidate trips
• Minimize drag by closing windows and avoiding use of rooftop racks

Also helpful is the association’s trip-cost estimator, which calculates the gas expense of traveling from one address to another.