AAA Predicts Jump in Summer Driving

We’ve written several posts in the past year about how driving in the U.S. has fallen, mostly due to the sick economy. Now, AAA predicts those numbers will surge over Memorial Day weekend. After conducting a survey of 2,700 households, the auto club expects Memorial Day travel to increase 1.5% over last year.

Gas Prices at $2.39 for Memorial Holiday Start

The national average for regular unleaded gasoline ticked up to $2.39 a gallon today. That’s up 3 cents from yesterday and 10 cents from last week. Expect the price to be higher by the end of the weekend, as well.Despite the gas price increase — which has become a part of summer just like holiday barbecues — more Americans are packing their cars for vacations this year. According to AAA, 32.4 million will travel at least 50 miles from home this weekend, up 1.5% from last year.Holiday weekend travelers will be saving money on gas — $1.40 a gallon — compared to last year when gas was near its peak price, but they're not saving a lot. If you’re driving 100 miles to the coast or campgrounds and back and only get 10 mpg — which would be horrendous — that’s a savings of $28. Let’s say you got 20 mpg, you’re saving $14. That doesn’t even cover a fast-food meal for a family of four.The economy is much worse this year, so it seems the psychological impact of last year's high gas prices might have been

AAA: Fewer vacationing for Labor Day, but it'll be busy

Fewer people will take a vacation this Labor Day weekend than last year, though cheaper gasoline and an abundance of special holiday deals still promise to make it a busy weekend at airports and on the highway, auto club AAA said Wednesday.

AAA estimated that 39.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 7, as part of a survey of 1,350 American households. That's six million fewer travelers than last year, but it's more than the number of travelers who took to the roads from 2004 to 2007.

``With Labor Day falling almost a full week later in 2009, many children will have returned to school,'' the auto club said in its report.

Gas Prices on the Rise, Diesel a Deal

Memorial Day and the summer travel season are fast approaching, which means gas prices are on the rise again. People who were happy to see $2 gas earlier this year are now greeted by a national average of $2.27 for a gallon of regular. The price of gas has climbed 16 cents in just a week, 22 cents in a month. The increase is most likely tied to the rising price of oil in recent weeks. There's also the annual switch over to a higher blend of ethanol for warm weather months. The good news is the average price of diesel fuel hasn’t risen as sharply as gas prices. The national average for a gallon of diesel is $2.28, up only 3 cents from a week ago and 1 cent higher than a month ago. Modern diesel cars like the VW Jetta TDI get roughly 30% better gas mileage than their standard gasoline counterparts. And to make everybody feel better, analysts do not expect a repeat of last year's $4 gas prices when we hit an all-time high on July 17,2008 for both regular unleaded — $4.11 — and diesel — $4.84. AAA

South Florida gasoline prices dip

With the summer driving season over, South Florida gas prices have begun their autumn retreat.

In Miami, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.49 on Monday, down five cents from a week ago and 17 cents from last month.

In Broward, a gallon was $2.47, down four cents from a week ago and also 17 cents from a month ago, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report.