LOS ANGELES – The busy summer travel season is here and many drivers are facing high prices at the gas pump but there could be some relief on the way
Gerard Van Gerwen knows that these days, there’s no avoiding pain at the pump — the cost to fill the truck he uses for his hauling business just keeps going up.
“I mean I try to find the cheapest gas prices while I’m driving around but sometimes it’s hard,” Van Gerwen said.
A new survey from the automotive group AAA shows that a growing number of Americans are becoming numb to gas prices.
The cost of fuel spiked across the country over the Memorial Day weekend — but has since started to slowly come down.
The national average for regular unleaded is about $2.80 a gallon but in some states like California, prices are close to $4 a gallon.
“It’s definitely distressing, but I don’t know, I guess there’s not much I can do about it,” driver Ian LaBash said.
There is good news for consumers this summer — the highest prices could be in the rearview mirror.
AAA expects prices at the pump to drop by at least 10¢ in the coming weeks as many drivers hit the road for summer vacations.
“Gas prices are going down because crude oil prices are much cheaper than they were last year,” explained Jeanette Casselano with AAA.
For drivers like Van Gerwen, any relief is welcome. “It’s real frustrating. I’m afraid I will have to raise my prices at work just to get by.”
He hopes to drive through the summer without any more price bumps in the road.
AAA says there are some things that drivers can do to get better gas mileage this summer, including driving slower and using your air conditioning.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Montana stood at $2.88 per gallon as of Thursday as opposed to $2.95 per gallon at the same time last year.
-Nichelle Medina reporting for CBS News
