Floridians planning a long day trip for the Memorial Day holiday can breathe a little easier.
AAA, the auto club, released a report estimating that Memorial Day gas prices will be the lowest they’ve been for the past 11 years.
Mark Jenkins, a spokesperson for AAA said that gas prices normally peak around the Memorial Day period, but this year prices have been lower.
“The great news is that oil and gasoline supplies have been especially high and that has helped lead to lower oil prices, which in turn leads to lower gas prices,” he said.
It is difficult to make projections about the rest of the summer season because the cost of crude oil is volatile.
“We could see the lowest summer gas prices in the past 11 years as well,” said Jenkins. “It really depends on what happens with the price of oil. There is a lot of uncertainty out there with what the future holds for oil prices.”
More than 38 million Americans will travel over the weekend holiday, AAA reports.
In 2015, the average gas price around Memorial Day was $2.74. In 2014, it was $3.66. The average for the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater area is $2.11.
Gas prices have increased 47 cents since the year's low in February, the Sun Sentinel reports.
AAA will also offer its ‘Tow to Go’ program, which provides free rides home to drunk drivers.
Jenkins said that the program should be a last resort for drivers.
“During the Memorial Day weekend, if someone has too much to drink and they don’t have a ride home, they can call Triple A and they will send a tow truck out to where this person is and tow their vehicle and them to a safe location up to 10 miles away."
Beginning Friday, May 27 at 6 a.m. to May 31, members and non-members can call the auto club service number, 855-286-9246, for a ride.
The ride is free, but AAA asks that people have a plan to get home safely, like electing a designated driver or installing the Uber app, before using the service.
