AAA Texas: Weekend Gas Watch; Pump Prices Slip Slightly

    HOUSTON--Aug. 16, 2002--The statewide average price for regular self-serve dropped by a penny to $1.32 a gallon compared to $1.33 a week ago, according to the Weekend Gas Watch, compiled by AAA Texas. The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for motoring trips.
    San Antonio and the Austin - San Marcos area have the least expensive gasoline at $1.272 a gallon. Motorists in the Austin - San Marcos area saw a decrease of 0.5 cent a gallon while drivers in San Antonio experienced a drop of 0.6 cent a gallon. Houston is mid-way on the price scale at $1.319 a gallon, down 0.3 cent a gallon since last week. Once again, Dallas tops the list at $1.34 a gallon, down 0.4 cent a week ago. Corpus Christi is the only city that saw an increase. In Corpus Christi, a gallon of regular self-serve is $1.281 a gallon, an increase of 0.9 cent a gallon.
    "Fuel prices have remained relatively stable throughout the summer," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "We've seen the statewide average hold steady with slight price increases in some cities balanced by slight decreases in others. Motorists can anticipate more decreases as the summer travel season winds down and driving decreases."

	   Average prices as of 12:01 a.m., Aug. 16, 2002:
                                     Change from
Area                   Regular        last week        Record Price
----                   -------       -----------     ----------------
Austin - San Marcos    $1.272         -0.5 cent      $1.538 (5/15/01)
Corpus Christi         $1.281         +0.9 cent      $1.505 (5/8/01)
Dallas                 $1.341         -0.4 cent      $1.666 (5/12/01)
Ft. Worth              $1.332         -0.3 cent      $1.660 (5/22/01)
Houston                $1.319         -0.3 cent      $1.639 (5/12/01)
San Antonio            $1.272         -0.6 cent      $1.498 (5/9/01)

    AAA Texas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas' members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, 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.