Georgia’s gas prices have soared over the past week. According to AAA, The Auto Club Group, motorists statewide now pay an average price of $2.96 per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline; that’s 21 cents more than a week ago, 26 cents more than last month, and $1.30 more than at this time last year.
It now costs $44.40 to fill a 15-gallon tank of gasoline; that’s $7.50 more than what motorists paid in January 2020, when pump prices hit last year’s peak of $2.46 per gallon.
Georgia gas stations continue their recovery from surging demand last week; sales were reportedly two to three times stronger than normal as drivers lined up to top off their tanks. AAA continues to monitor the latest news about the Colonial Pipeline restart.
Montrae Waiters, spokeswoman for AAA, states, “The restart of the pipeline last Wednesday was very positive news for motorists. While the impact was not seen immediately, Georgians can expect to see a few more days of limited fuel supply but can rest assured that relief is coming.”
Sunday’s national average of $3.04 per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is eight cents higher than a week ago, 18 cents more than last month, and $1.17 more than at this same time last year.
AAA offers these tips to help Georgians conserve fuel:
- Plan ahead to accomplish multiple errands in one trip, and whenever possible avoid high-traffic times of day.
-
If you own more than one car, use the most fuel-efficient model that meets the needs of any given journey.
-
Remove unnecessary and bulky items from your car. Minimize your use of roof racks and remove special carriers when not in use. It takes more fuel to accelerate a heavier car, and the reduction in fuel economy is greater for small cars than for larger models.
-
Minimize your use of air conditioning. Even at highway speeds, open windows have less effect on fuel economy than the engine power required to operate the air conditioning compressor.
-
In hot weather, park in the shade or use a windshield sunscreen to lessen heat buildup inside the car. This reduces the need for air conditioning (and thus fuel) to cool down the car.