Fuel Prices on the Decline, AAA Reports
18 November 1999
Fuel Prices on the Decline, AAA Reports. Will it start a trend?BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov. 17 Fuel prices in central and western Washington have gone down for the first time since President's Day. This Thanksgiving weekend, the average price of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline is $1.357 per gallon, a decrease of 8.5 cents per gallon since Labor Day weekend. However, since Thanksgiving 1998, the average price per gallon has increased 27.1 cents. High fuel prices aren't keeping travelers home this holiday weekend. Favorite destinations for Washington's Thanksgiving weekend travelers are Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia; the Oregon Coast; and sunny U.S. cities such as Palm Springs, Los Angeles and Phoenix. AAA projects that 33.8 million Americans plan to travel 100 miles or more during the holiday weekend, up from last year's 33.6 million travelers. For the nearly 28 million travelers who will be driving, AAA suggests the following tips to help conserve gasoline: -- Keep tires properly inflated. This will reduce the resistance your vehicle must overcome to start moving and to keep going. -- Accelerate gently, brake gradually and avoid hard stops. Quick acceleration and speeds requiring hard braking wastes fuel. -- Don't let the vehicle idle for more than a few minutes. Idling consumes half-a-gallon to one gallon of gas per hour and wastes more gas than restarting the engine. -- Check the engine oil level when buying gasoline to be sure the engine is lubricated properly. -- Combine errands into one trip or go to one location to take care of as many errands as possible. -- Pack lightly when traveling and avoid carrying items on the vehicle's roof, which increases wind resistance. Other ways to save money on gasoline purchases include not using mid-grade or premium fuel unless it is recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer, aggressively shopping for the lowest gas price in your area, and using public transportation where available or car-pooling to work or school. Area by Area Comparison of Self-serve Regular Unleaded Fuel Prices City Thanksgiving '99 Labor Day '99 Thanksgiving '98 Bellevue 1.392 1.456 1.110 Bellingham 1.389 1.463 1.110 Bremerton 1.359 1.409 1.027 Everett 1.373 1.461 1.110 Lynnwood 1.368 1.455 1.092 Olympia 1.348 1.433 1.108 Renton 1.348 1.414 1.074 Seattle 1.406 1.466 1.110 Tacoma 1.322 1.410 1.069 Tri-Cities 1.247 1.381 1.013 Vancouver 1.342 1.479 1.076 Wenatchee 1.390 1.467 1.109 Yakima 1.357 1.457 1.110 Average 1.357 1.442 1.086 AAA Washington provides more than 616,500 members in western and central Washington a full range of products and benefits, including full-service travel agencies and personal lines insurance agencies in each of its 13 service centers; a range of auto-related services; a variety of financial products, and member discounts on many consumer products and services. Although its travel and insurance agencies are available to the general public, AAA members benefit additionally from many special discounts and exclusive programs. A not-for-profit organization, AAA Washington also assists travelers through its highway and transportation safety and legislative advocacy programs. More information about AAA Washington is available on the company's website at http://www.aaawa.com. CONTACT: Janet Ray, 425-646-2058, or Jennifer Harbison, 425-646-2055, both of AAA Washington.