July Fourth holiday driving could get hectic as millions embark on holiday travel. But gasoline prices will be lower than they have been in recent years.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Driving this weekend? Be prepared for a double shock -- the heaviest July Fourth traffic in years. That's the bad news.
The good news is that gasoline prices are falling. At least that is what the averages are showing.
More American families will be driving this Fourth of July than at any time since 2007, the AAA's reports.
About 41.9 million Americans will be travelling at least 50 miles from home this Fourth of July, the auto club has determined.
"Independence Day is typically the busiest summer travel holiday, and more Americans are planning a holiday getaway than any year since 2007," said Marshall Doney, AAA President.
And about 35.5 million of them will be on the highways, the highest number since 2007.
Many families have already hit the highways. The auto club defines the Independence Day holiday from July 1 through July 5.
Those travelers should find the average price of gasoline at about $2.75 a gallon, or lower, both locally and nationally.
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The average price of gasoline this week is much lower than it has been in recent years. The average price for regular gas on Tuesday was $2.77 a gallon, both in Northeast Ohio and nationwide, the auto club reported.
That's about 80 cents to 90 cents less than year-ago prices -- and the lowest in about five years, the AAA figures.
And wholesale prices were continuing to fall on Tuesday, signaling that prices at the pump may also be moving lower.
Average prices began sinking earlier this week after reaching a high for the year of $2.80 a gallon just two weeks ago.
Average prices are just that, averages. Individual stations may be posting lower, or higher, prices.
Locally, many stations were posting prices as much as 30 cents lower than those average prices, GasBuddy showed on Tuesday.
GasBuddy is the Internet-based price watchdog that relies in part on its 14 million member motorists to report prices as they see them.
Click here and use a zip code to check average prices and specific prices anywhere.
Click here to see state-by-state average prices calculated in real time.
