Auto Club: Gas Prices Continue Downward Trend

    LOS ANGELES--Sept. 28, 2001--Falling demand for gasoline, coupled with ample supplies have led to falling pump prices for the second consecutive week throughout Southern California, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch.
    In the period immediately following the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., some people feared that there would be interruptions in the availability of gas. However, the opposite has been true and market conditions point to further declines in coming weeks.
    The current price in the Los Angeles/Long Beach reporting area is $1.591 per gallon, 2.5 cents lower than the price at this time last week. The price in San Diego is 1.5 cents lower than last week's average. The price for Central Coast motorists is 3 cents lower than last week. The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for motoring trips.
    "No one should have fears that if they take a driving trip that there will not be enough gasoline available, or the price will be abnormally high," said Carol Thorp, Auto Club spokesperson. "There is ample gasoline throughout California and our region, and that gasoline is at reasonable prices."

Average prices as of 12:01 a.m. Sept. 28.

Area                             Regular Change from  Record Price
                                          last week

Los Angeles-Long Beach           $1.591  -2.5 cents   $2.036 (set 5/25)

San Diego                        $1.724  -1.5 cents   $2.025 (5/29)

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc $1.714  -3.0 cents   $2.069 (5/16)

Las Vegas                        $1.515  +0.3 cents   $1.885 (3/27/00)

Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.              $1.408  -2.9 cents   $1.720 (5/30)