DAYTON — The pain at the pump continues this week with average gas prices around the country hitting a record $4.56 a gallon on Wednesday. Drivers on the west coast are especially feeling the pain with California residents seeing the highest prices in that nation at the pump at $6 a gallon.
Week after week prices at the pump continue to climb.
Kara Hitchens, Public Affairs Manager for AAA said, “We are seeing that we are hitting record averages every week.”
And summer is on the way. “Right now, we aren’t seeing any relief in sight,” Hitchens said. She continued “As we switched over to summer blends that tends to drive up costs.”
>> Verizon joins AT&T in boosting wireless prices, citing inflation
Summer blends means drivers will spend 10 to 15 cents more at the pump. AAA says California drivers are paying $6.06 a gallon for gas. That’s the highest in the nation with Hawaii close behind at $5.35 a gallon and Nevada sits at $5.23 a gallon.
AAA says Kansas has the cheapest gas in the country at $4.04 a gallon.
“I would say 2008 is the last time we got this high. It’s bee a shock to the system,” Hitchens said.
>> Funeral arrangements announced for former Dayton HS standout Adreian Payne
But will our gas prices rise to the prices seen out west? Hitchens said it’s unlikely.
“We can’t definitively say because its high on the west coast, it’s going to be high here. It looks like it’s a possibility of being $5. Keeps inching up,” Hitchens said.
Relief could come at the end of the summer, Hitchens said. Till then, she recommends drivers do everything they can to save, including use fuel points and making sure your car is running properly.