CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As West Virginians join other Americans in traveling this holiday weekend they will enjoy some of the lowest gasoline prices since 2008.
“At this time last year we were sitting at $2.91 a gallon. Right now, the West Virginia average is $2.02 a gallon,” Chrissy Gray with the AAA office in Charleston said. “This (Wednesday) morning I saw gas for a $1.93 in Cross Lanes, so we’re almost a dollar cheaper than last year.”
AAA predicts 42 million motorists will be on the road for longer trips through the weekend. That’s up 300,000 from last year.
“They’re not going to travel to see family,” Gray said. “They may just take this time to take a long weekend trip just to get away for a few days and take advantage of the prices.”
Above average temperatures with little or no precipitation is in the forecast for the entire eastern U.S. this weekend. That, with the lower gasoline prices, will play a role in travel, Gray said.
“When the gas prices are down the consumer tends to go further. They tend to make what would be a family trip into a family trip/long weekend vacation,” Gray said.