Gas prices continue dropping ahead of Thanksgiving travel season

As many across the Mid-Atlantic region prepare for a Thanksgiving road trip, they will find that gas prices have remained fairly stable, even dipping a penny or two on the week. AAA Mid-Atlantic expects gas prices to drop between five and 10 cents by Thanksgiving weekend.

In Metro Richmond, the average cost of one gallon of unleaded gasoline was $2.29 Nov. 19 – two cents lower than the previous week. The statewide average is $2.31, while the national average is $2.54.

The prices are much higher than they were a year ago at this time, when the average cost of a gallon of gas in Metro Richmond was $1.96“Though AAA expects prices at the pump to drop five to ten cents by Thanksgiving weekend, travelers taking to the roads for the holiday will experience higher gas prices than last year,” said Tammy Arnette, senior public affairs specialist for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “However, as colder temperatures become the norm and gasoline demand decreases, drivers should see prices start to slowly dip heading into the end of the year.”

AAA projects 50.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, a 3.3 percent increase over last year. Nearly ninety percent of those traveling – 45.5 million – are planning a Thanksgiving road trip, a 3.2 percent increase over last year.  The 2017 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005, according to AAA.

AAA has a variety of resources to help motorists save on fuel:

• Fuel Price Finder (http://www.AAA.com/fuelfinder) locates the lowest fuel price in your area.

• AAA Gas Cost Calculator (http://gasprices.aaa.com/aaa-gas-cost-calculator/) helps budget travel expenses.

• TripTik Mobile (http://www.aaa.com/mobile) plots fuel prices along your travel route.