Labor Day weekend travelers are benefiting from seven weeks in a row of gas price drops, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail state average is $3.856 a gallon for regular today, 2.1 cents less than last week.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.839 per gallon, which is 2.2 cents less than last week, 17 cents less than last month, and three-tenths of a cent higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $3.827, which is a penny less than last week, 15 cents lower than last month, and 1 cent lower than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.904, 2.6 cents less than last week, 16.5 cents lower than a month ago, and eight-tenths of a cent less than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per-gallon price is $3.806, down 2.3 cents from last week, 18 cents less than last month, and 1 cent less than last year.
“As Southern California holiday travelers make their way out of town, they’ll be filling up at prices very similar to this time last year,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “To make sure drivers don’t waste fuel on their holiday trips, the Auto Club’s Automotive Research Center recommends driving the speed limit, smoothing out driving to anticipate traffic stops, avoiding traffic if possible, and getting tires properly inflated while they are cold prior to hitting the road. Automotive Research Center tests have shown these actions help drivers meet or exceed the advertised fuel economy on their vehicles.”
The Auto Club also reminds holiday travelers driving through Orange County that the county’s toll roads no longer have pay booths. Payment is electronic only either by using a transponder, setting up an online account to be automatically charged, or going online within 48 hours of using the toll road to pay the toll.
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on Aug. 28, averages are:
|
Area |
Regular |
One-week change |
Record Price |
|
Los Angeles – Long Beach |
$3.839 |
-2.2 cents |
$4.705 (10/9/12) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Orange County |
$3.809 |
-1.9 cents |
$4.690 (10/8/12) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
San Diego |
$3.827 |
-1.0 cent |
$4.725 (10/8/12) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Santa Barbara – Santa Maria – Lompoc |
$3.904 |
-2.6 cents |
$4.709 (6/21/08) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riverside – San Bernardino |
$3.806 |
-2.3 cents |
$4.688 (10/8/12) |
|
Ventura |
$3.835 |
-3.0 cents |
$4.689 (10/7/12) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bakersfield |
$3.860 |
-3.0 cents |
$4.648 (10/9/12) |