No, six weeks ago was just a guesstimate. You could probably try plotting the frequency of the words "gas prices" and similar phrases showing up in news stories over time to gauge interest (speaking of which, trend picking via time-dependent news analysis is a pretty good startup idea...)
In my opinion, gas prices are one of those things which people are maximally irrational about. Since they vary from day to day people are far more aware of how much they're spending, while other larger expenses are more easily ignored. For a couple of months people were selling their SUVs for cheap and buying new small cars for more than RRP -- I was almost tempted to pick up a cheap used Lincoln Navigator or similar just to take advantage of it.
Google Trends says approximately six weeks ago is a good guess; looks like news references to gas prices peaked in mid-July, while web searches peaked a couple months earlier:
In my opinion, gas prices are one of those things which people are maximally irrational about. Since they vary from day to day people are far more aware of how much they're spending, while other larger expenses are more easily ignored. For a couple of months people were selling their SUVs for cheap and buying new small cars for more than RRP -- I was almost tempted to pick up a cheap used Lincoln Navigator or similar just to take advantage of it.