The price of gasoline is on the rise heading into the holiday weekend. In fact, it's at a historic high for a Labor Day weekend.
According to AAA, gas prices rose two cents nationally overnight, in large part due to the fact that some Gulf Coast refineries are offline in the wake of Hurricane Isaac. That puts the national average for regular gas at about $3.80 per gallon -- a full 20 cents cheaper than the Connecticut average, according to Connecticut Gas Prices, a website that tracks fuel prices in the state.
In Connecticut, the average price of regular unleaded has , from $3.80 to just over $4.
But the rise in gas prices apparently won't keep millions of Americans from hitting the road this Labor Day, as they head out to enjoy the unofficial last weekend of summer. AAA reports that nearly 33 million Americans plan to travel for Labor Day.
With the expected increase in motorists over the holiday weekend -- AAA predicts that the number of people traveling at least 50 miles by automobile for the holiday period will increase by 3.2 percent in New England compared to last year -- the organization, MADD and state and local police departments are encouraging travelers to be safe and select a designated driver.
Connecticut State Troopers will be concentrating on enforcement of drunken driving, speeding, safety belt, and distracted driving laws during the entire Labor Day Weekend, according to a press release. "Troopers will utilize both traditional and nontraditional patrol vehicles on patrol searching for reckless and intoxicated drivers. Troopers will also man sobriety checkpoints to intercept drunk drivers," the release states.
The effort is to avoid stats like these, provided by AAA:
- Alcohol-impaired drivers make up about one-third of all motor vehicle deaths.
- An average of one alcohol-impaired-driving death occurs every 45 minutes.
- Each year, impaired-driving crashes cost the U.S. more than $50 billion.
To get the latest traffic conditions in your local area and to find the cheapest gas in town, check out our Commute section.
