CINCINNATI — Gas prices ahead of the Memorial Day weekend are sitting around $4.50 in the Tri-State and that might be considered a "deal" by the time drivers hit the road this weekend.
"The pain at the pump is very real and we see that we're breaking records day after day after day," AAA manager Kara Hitchens said.
According to Hitchens, high gas prices are being driven by at least two things: the cost of crude oil and the summer travel season.
Despite the higher prices, people aren't slowing down.
AAA said people are still traveling, but maybe they don't go as far, maybe they don't stay as long, maybe they're eating in instead of going out every night.
Hitchens said it's all about balancing out the overall budget for your trips now that gas is eating up so much of that money.
There are little things you can do to save money at the pump, like using rewards programs with different brands, filling up at the big warehouse stores and making sure your vehicle is running properly.
"Making sure your car is running well, you want to make sure you have proper tire inflation so it's connecting with the road," Hitchens said.
"We tell people limit the use of the air conditioner because that eats up fuel as well, a lot of people don't realize that but if you're just driving around town, roll down the windows and enjoy the fresh air."
Hitchens doesn't believe the Tri-State will see gas over $5 before the Memorial Day weekend, but nationally the numbers are continuing to rise and we could see new records closer to $6 later in the summer.
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