Travelers on Labor Day will see higher gas prices than normal.
Delaware drivers have seen gas prices go up and down throughout the summer due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Nationally, the average price will likely be above $4 per gallon on Labor Day - also the highest ever. It was at $4.09 on September 1.
AAA’s Jana Tidwell says we’re seeing record prices nationally.
"The national gas price average is just coming up off of August being the highest on record $4 per gallon every day in August. That was a record for the month. Delaware is on the lower side," said Tidwell.
As of September 1, drivers in Delaware were paying an average of $3.93 per gallon of gas which, if it stays the same or goes up, will be the highest price on record for the Labor Day holiday according to AAA.
Pump prices are lower than Memorial Day when they were $4.35 in Delaware and $4.50 nationally, but higher than July 4 when Delawareans were paying an average of $3.65 and the national average was $3.81.
Tidwell says despite the high prices, drivers usually don’t hold back from driving to the beach or a destination for holidays.
"Historically, AAA has not seen high gas prices impact travel,” said Tidwell. “We've seen travel rebound significantly every year post pandemic. People want to travel. They will make concessions in other areas."
If you’re heading to the beaches or elsewhere, the expectation is drivers will start hitting the roads for the weekend on Thursday.
The best time to travel will be before 1 pm on Thursday, before noon on Friday, before 10 am on Saturday and before noon on Monday.
On Sunday, minimal traffic impact is expected according to AAA.
