Average gas prices in Southern California are higher than they’ve been since 2014, but a record amount of motorists are expected to take to the highways this holiday weekend.
The Automobile Club of Southern California is expecting more than 3.3 million Southern Californians to take trips during the holiday weekend, regardless of the price of gas, which is averaging $4.25 statewide.
“We expect car travel this Independence Day to be the highest on record,” said AAA spokesman Doug Shupe told KNX. “The increase can be attributed to increased vaccinations, more states opening services and destinations, declining COVID-19 statistics and pent-up demand.”
According to KTLA, an increased demand for gas has caused prices at the pump to go up. Motorists travelling this weekend will also see a bump at the pump due to a one-cent increase in the state gas tax to 51.1 cents.
Nationwide, an expected 43.6 million Americans will drive to their destinations, the highest on record for this holiday and 5% more than the previous record set in 2019.
“Be prepared to dig quite a bit deeper,” said Patrick DeHaan, a spokesman with GasBuddy.com. “Demand for gas is surging amidst the reopening economy.”