Gas Price Drops Give Holiday Travelers A Break

(LOS ANGELES – Dec. 22, 2011) – After seven straight weeks of decreases, a full tank of gas will cost just a few dollars more than last year for most Southern Californians as they make their holiday getaways, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

 

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.542 per gallon, which is 4.1 cents lower than last week, 23 cents lower than last month, and 28 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $3.532, a decrease of 3.6 cents from last week, 23 cents below last month, and 25 cents higher than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.580, down 3.4 cents from last week, 25 cents lower than a month ago, and 27 cents above last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per gallon price is $3.499, down six cents from last week, 27 cents lower than last month, and 24 cents more than last year.

 

“With 7.1 million Southern Californians traveling this holiday and 6.3 million of them going by car, the good news is that the price averages near $3.50 will make this the least expensive 2011 holiday for gas prices,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “Local Thanksgiving travelers were paying about $3.75 a gallon, Labor Day fill-ups cost about $3.85 a gallon, Fourth of July travelers paid around $3.80 a gallon and Memorial Day per-gallon gas price averages were about $4.05. During the 2010 Christmas-New Year’s holiday period, gas prices were about $3.25 per gallon.”

 

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of noon on Dec. 22, averages are: