The average in Frederick is $4.22 per gallon
Washington DC. (KM) – If you’ve filled up your car, van or truck recently, you know gas prices have gone up. AAA Mid-Atlantic says as of Wednesday, the average price nationally is $4.25 per gallon, up by eight-cents since Tuesday.. In Maryland the average price is $.4.23 per gallon, which is an increase from $.4.19 on Tuesday. And in Frederick, AAA says the average price is $4.22 per gallon, up by 56-cents from last week.
“For the last few days, Maryland, the National Average, Virginia, the District of Columbia, have all broken previously set records which for the most part were set back in 2008,” says Ragina Ali, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Ali says part of the reason is the war between Russia and Ukraine has led to higher crude oil prices. But she says that’s not the whole story. “This year, prior to the conflict, gas price were already trending higher. That had to do with tightened global supply; more demand. we were seeing as more people were returning back to work, not working from home,”: says Ali.
“We’re seeing an increase in demand. However, oil supplies were still a little tight,” Ali continues. “We’re also seeing some other issues such as the supply chain shortages, the truck driver shortage and things like that were causing gas prices to increase.”
She also says the Biden Administration’s decision banning crude oil imports from Russia will also have an impact. “The US does not get a lot of its oil from Russia,” says Ali. “That being said, we do believe that a ban of crude imports from Russia to the US will still likely cause prices to continue to rise to reflect even further tightening global oil supplies.”
AAA says there are several ways for motorists to deal with higher gas prices. They include regular vehicle maintenance and making sure you car, van or truck’s tires are property inflated. In addition drivers are urged not to purchase middle or high grade gasoline for their vehicles unless their owners’ manuals specifically recommend it. Other ways include avoid idling, observe the speed limit and drive sensibly: no aggressive driving, . speeding or sudden braking.
To find the lowest price for gasoline in your area, go on line to AAA’s Fuel Price Finder at http://www.AAA.com/fuelfinder.
By Kevin McManus