Gas prices fall in Mid-Missouri ahead of Fourth of July travel season
COLUMBIA MO. (KMIZ)
Gas prices across the state have fallen again this week, just two weeks before Independence Day.
According to AAA, the state average for a tank of gas sits at $3.65. That's down 11 cents from last week but still up 83 cents compared to last year at the same time. The current national average sits at $3.99, which is 31 cents more than the state's current national average.
AAA added that around the state, drivers in Jefferson City are seeing the highest prices at the pump at $3.87, while drivers in Springfield are paying the least, with their average set around $3.40. The ABC 17 News Fuel Finder page shows the lowest prices in Jefferson City are around $3.69-$3.79.
According to AAA spokesperson Carly McKinnis, the lowering prices stem from tensions calming between the United States and Iran.
"Well, this is all in reaction to oil markets kind of calming down now that we've seen that truce with the US and Iran. Traffic resuming or starting anyway in the Strait of Hormuz. That is really easing tensions in the oil market," she said.
While the prices continue to fall, McKinnis noted the downward trend could change at any moment.
"We can't count on that lasting. This is a very tenuous truce, and anything could happen. If anything does happen, you should expect those prices to shoot back up," she said
While any drop in gas prices is usually good news for summer road trips, the reality on the ground feels a lot different.
Eugine Calper, who was making a road trip from Lawrence, Kansas, to Alton, Illinois, said at a Phillips 66 gas station in Columbia that he is frustrated with the current prices.
“I am actually highly irritated with the gas prices. I do not know what it is going to take for gas prices to be sustainable," he said.
David Bridgers, whose family was headed on a road trip to the East Coast, said in Columbia the cost of a flight was not affordable, so he had to drive.
“It just feels like we are kind of being held hostage as consumers. It’s just unaffordable to fly; we're driving now, but we had to drive our smallest vehicle because of the fuel economy," he said.
McKinnis added that before anyone hits the road for summer vacation, to make sure that your vehicle is road trip ready.
"Make sure that your battery is fully charged, and make sure that your tires are inflated properly. AAA responded to more than 600,000 roadside assistance calls during the last Fourth of July holiday travel period," she said.
