AAA Texas: Weekend Gas Watch; Gas Prices Reach For Records

IRVING, Texas--Oct. 1, 20045, 2004--Pump prices are making a reach for the record books as the price of crude continue to reach new heights, according to AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch.

The national average for regular self-serve gasoline is $1.989 a gallon -- a four cents increase. The Texas average for a gallon of regular self-serve is $1.878, up four cents since last week, and up 45.2 compared to last year's average of $1.426.

Last week, San Antonio had the cheapest gas on the list. This week, it posted the biggest increase of nine cents a gallon to $1.883 a gallon. San Antonio and Dallas are nearly tied for the highest priced gas on the list, with Dallas ($1.886) edging past Alamo City ($1.883) by only three-tenths of a penny.

"The escalating gasoline prices reflect sharply higher crude oil prices which topped $54 a barrel this week," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "The price of both gasoline and crude oil are higher partly due to the continuing loss of production in the Gulf of Mexico due to Hurricane Ivan."

AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for automobile trips.

Average Daily Prices as of 12:01 a.m., Oct. 15, 2004:

                                Weekly           New           Year
Area                Current     Change       Record Price    Ago Price
-----------------  --------- ------------  ----------------  ---------
National            $1.989     +4.2 cents   $2.054 (5/26/04)  $1.569

State               $1.878     +4.2 cents   $1.927 (5/26/04)  $1.426

Austin-San Marcos   $1.880     +6.5 cents   $1.929 (5/27/04)  $1.393

Beaumont            $1.847     +3.2 cents   $1.903 (6/1/04)   $1.393

Corpus Christi      $1.853     +5.1 cents   $1.925 (5/26/04)  $1.354

Dallas              $1.886     +4.5 cents   $1.932 (5/27/04)  $1.449

Fort Worth          $1.872     +4.6 cents   $1.924 (5/28/04)  $1.426

Galveston -         $1.862     +5.5 cents   $1.922 (6/1/04)   $1.434
Texas City

Houston             $1.857     +3.7 cents   $1.909 (6/1/04)   $1.420

San Antonio         $1.883     +9.0 cents   $1.952 (5/26/04)  $1.362

AAA Texas, an affiliate of AAA National, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.