Gas prices have skyrocketed just in time for Memorial Day, in an unexpected high that beats the same holiday weekend from the last seven years.
CNN reports that the boosted cost of gas could last all summer as the economy continues to reopen due to the pandemic—and due to the shutdown of an oil pipeline. The average gas price right now is $3.04, as opposed to last year’s Memorial Day weekend, which was $1.97. Prices have also surged because of a shortage in tank truck drivers who deliver the fuel, as well as people panicking and topping off their tanks.
“We don’t expect these higher prices to negatively impact travel for Memorial Day or this summer,” an AAA spokesperson said, per The Hill. “There is significant pent-up demand right now and Americans are eager to get out and travel. When travel prices have increased in the past, we find travelers may look for more free activities or eat out less while on vacation, but they still take their planned trips.”
In 2020, the national average was below $2, when no one was driving. Prices from the year before were 7 percent lower than they are this year, with driving have increased by 53 percent since last year, according to the AAA.
