In 2000, Malcolm Gladwell, a staff writer for The New Yorker, made a splash with his bestseller, “The Tipping Point,” which explored a phenomenon he called “social epidemics” and the forces that influence them. The mechanism for which the book is named is the zenith at which gathered momentum triggers another, often unexpected, result.

The constant rise in fuel prices brings to mind Gladwell’s research. Watching the cost of diesel fuel straddle the $4 per gallon mark and seeing gasoline nipping at its heels, we expect a “tipping point” any time. It’s not as much a question of “if” as “when,” and the more interesting conversation is about what the unexpected result might be. Would everyone park their vehicles and ride bicycles?

Millions of Chinese people have successfully used pedal power for years. Would there be a resurgence in foot traffic? With the cloying humidity and heat of summer just around the corner, that would be a sucker’s bet. Car pools? People staying home? Scooters?

It’s difficult to imagine a reasonable reaction in an area like ours, where most people have at least one motorized vehicle and public transportation is limited. Parking one’s vehicle in protest is far less inconvenient in a large city with an extensive mass transit system. However, society is beginning to show signs of strain, even in the Wiregrass area, where a diversified economy has buffered residents from the sharp rise and fall of a volatile market.

Shoppers have begun to notice a creeping increase in food prices, particularly in staples such as dairy and grain products. It’s simply a ripple effect of increased fuel costs passed down to the end consumer.

There has also been a rash of robberies, from convenience stores to banks; one suspect even fled the scene of the crime on a bicycle, having, apparently, reached his own personal tipping point.