Record-High Gas Prices Near Martinez Reported Tuesday

MARTINEZ, CA — If you cringe at the prospect of making a trip to a gas station in Martinez, you're not alone.

Regular unleaded gas prices hit an all-time high Tuesday in the East Bay as prices continued to climb across the country, according to an analysis by AAA.

The average price for regular unleaded gas in Contra Costa County was $4.73 per gallon as of Tuesday and $4.76 for the entire East Bay. A year ago, the East Bay average was about $3.30.

By comparison, the national average was $3.42 per gallon. The Golden State's average was $4.63 per gallon.

Diesel prices in the East Bay hovered below the all-time record of $5.16 per gallon set in 2008, but it's still not cheap to fill up. A gallon of diesel in the East Bay will set you back $4.86 on average, according to AAA. That's up from last year's average of $3.50.

Contra Costa County's gas prices were higher than those of most California counties but were still lower than those of others in the Bay Area, including San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties.

California's gas prices were among the nation's highest, according to AAA.

It's possible that the end of daylight saving time and onset of shorter days could contribute to lower prices, said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross.

"Drivers may head straight home from work to avoid the darkness rather than tack on side trips for shopping or errands," he said in a statement.

See how other California counties stacked up in AAA's analysis.