These were real problems people faced, although it wasn't exactly a full panic.
Oil "scares" on the other hand were threats that raised eyebrows, and caused dramatic price fluctuations in anticipation potential problems. Each "scare" really only hit the wallet and bank account, without altering real behavior.
In that sense, yes, there were a few other "scares" between Jimmy Carter and present day. Each grouping came periodically, maybe every ten years. Almost all of them were tied to Iraq.
The first was the invasion of Kuwait in 1991. I think gas prices blew past $2/gallon for the first time.
The second was 9/11, and $4/gallon gas starting late 2001. This one was rough. Pretty much everyone I knew was groaning about gas prices, and with Iraq invasion rumors people started thinking $5 would break them.
The 2003 Iraq invasion actually resulted in a downward trend (due to international theft or spoils), but it's ever been below $2 again, and it's been back up to $4 at the pump, here and there, depending on geographic region and state taxes, here and there.
With the 2008 meltdown, oil prices weren't displaying any gouging, and there wasn't much of a scare at the 2001 decade mark, because as others have mentioned, fracking has buoyed domestic production.
We're going to have to do this the hard way, as the other poster mentioned. Decide to keep it in the ground.
Additionally, tar sands are very marginal economically. Arguably not profitable right now. Fracking tight oil is cheaper, and even that is not being pursued as vigorously as it was when oil prices were higher.
And there are environmental regulations that get in the way of oil shale/kerogen extraction. And for good reason.
For example, Mad Max in 1979 comes from that sentiment.