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AAA Washington: Fuel Prices Continue to Drop This Holiday Season

18 December 1998

AAA Washington: Fuel Prices Continue to Drop This Holiday Season
    BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 17 -- Fuel prices have dropped
significantly since the 1997 holiday season.  Washington motorists can expect
the average price of self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline to be 20 cents
lower than this time last year, dropping from $1.267 per gallon to $1.07 per
gallon currently.
    Nationally, the average price of self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline
decreased to $1.023 per gallon, down 3.2 cents since November. Washington's
average price dropped only 1.6 cents since November.
    A record 45.2 million people are expected to travel 100 miles or more from
home this holiday season, up 11.6 million from Thanksgiving.  Both the West
and Southeast are expected to have the greatest number of auto travelers, with
9.2 million from each region.  From the East Coast to eastern Washington, more
people travel to be with family and friends during the holiday season than any
other time of year.
    AAA Washington is a not-for-profit organization with 13 offices in central
and western Washington.  The club provides more than 593,000 members with
travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.
    Please see attached chart for local gasoline prices.

           AAA Washington's Holiday 1998 Fuel Gauge Price Averages

      Area by Area Comparison of Self-Serve Regular Unleaded Fuel Prices

    City                   Holidays '98    Thanksgiving '98  Holidays '97
    Bellevue                   1.088            1.110            1.289
    Bellingham                 1.086            1.110            1.280
    Bremerton                  1.030            1.027            1.250
    Everett                    1.100            1.110            1.272
    Lynnwood                   1.093            1.092            1.270
    Olympia                    1.073            1.108            1.269
    Renton                     1.034            1.074            1.299
    Seattle                    1.087            1.110            1.320
    Tacoma                     1.059            1.069            1.289
    Tri-Cities                 1.005            1.013            1.094
    Vancouver                  1.066            1.076            1.275
    Wenatchee                  1.109            1.109            1.319
    Yakima                     1.079            1.110            1.253
    Averages                   1.070            1.086            1.267

    Contact:   Janet Ray or Jennifer Harbison, of AAA Washington, 800-562-2582