ARKANSAS, USA — Thanksgiving is just days away and that means people will start hitting the road. Gas prices dropping is something we can all be thankful for this year.
You’ve probably noticed that the amount you’re paying at the pump has been gradually decreasing over the last few weeks. In just the last week, the average price of a gallon of gas has fallen 10 cents across Arkansas.
“We impressively saw all 50 states seeing declining gas prices— seems pretty fitting as millions of Americans prepare to hit the road for Thanksgiving, the average price in Arkansas now $3.10 a gallon, though you can find it far less,” said Patrick De Hann, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
De Hann says in Fort Smith you can find gas as low as $2.79 a gallon. If you are planning to hit the road this week, he suggests you shop around for gas before filling up because prices can vary by about 60 cents.
“Gas prices going down is very exciting but to be honest with you, with the economy and everything, I just see it going right back up and even higher than it was,” said Mitch Mosher, a resident filling up at a local gas station.
“Oh, yeah very happy because it’s going to help for Christmas and for the dinner too. And presents for the kids,” said Clara Diella.
Some drivers are still choosing to stay home this Thanksgiving while others change their habits to save on gas.
“The GasBuddy travel survey for Thanksgiving found 38% of Americans were going to hit the road. That's up from 32% Last year, but it's also still a big decline from 2019 when gas prices were low and pre-COVID When almost two-thirds of Americans said that they were going to be hitting the road,” said De Hann.
If you’re wondering if this price decline will continue, De Hann thinks we’re in luck.
“I'm hopeful given the numbers that we see over the last couple of weeks that we should see prices falling at least the next two, maybe three or four weeks if we're lucky. So I really see no signs of a rebound. Yet, having said that, it's not impossible that we eventually will see an end to the decline in prices,” he said.
Some things you can do to save gas include slowing down a couple of miles per hour and removing any excess weight from your car because it will increase your fuel efficiency.
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