Low Gas Prices Might Help Holiday Travelers

SoCal travelers heading out of town for the Fourth of July holiday will fill up their tanks at prices nearly 50 cents below high points in early May, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.817 per gallon, which is 7.9 cents lower than last week, 25 cents lower than last month, and 69 cents higher than last year.

In San Diego, the price is $3.786, a decrease of 7.9 cents from last week, 23 cents below last month, and 65 cents higher than last year.

On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.857, down 5.9 cents from last week, 24 cents lower than a month ago, and 65 cents above last year.

In the Inland Empire, the average per gallon price is $3.791, which is 7.4 cents lower than last week, 23 cents lower than last month, and 68 cents more than last year.

"Prices came down a little more quickly this week, perhaps because of last week’s Obama administration announcement that it is releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring said. "The Auto Club is predicting that 2.29 million of the 2.9 million local Independence Day travelers will go by car. That’s a 2.9 percent decrease from last year’s car travelers over this holiday and higher gas prices are probably a major reason for the downturn.”

The stations currently selling the cheapest gas in Palos Verdes are listed below. Local prices are according to GasBuddy.com and reflect prices reported within the last 24 hours.

• Regular: $3.69
• Premium: $3.89

• Regular: $3.73
• Premium: $3.95

• Regular: $3.85
• Premium: $4.05

Texaco, 2133 Palos Verdes Dr. W.

• Regular: $3.85
• Premium: $4.05

Click here for more prices in the region. If you’re planning a trip, click here and plug in your travel plans to find out how much it will cost.