Motorists get minor reprieve at the pump

The average gas price in Baton Rouge fell 5.7 cents per gallon over the past week, according to GasBuddy.com, with an average of $3.65 a gallon on Sunday. The U.S. average also trickled down 3.3 cents per gallon over the week and was at $3.81 heading into this week. The dip in prices last week left Baton Rouge’s average price for regular unleaded gas 11.9 cents per gallon lower than during the same week last year. Comparatively, the national average was 8.6 cents lower. Regardless, Gasbuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan says he doesn’t expect prices to continue to fall much further. “The national average now stands nearly 10 cents per gallon lower than the same date a year ago, but will we hear an end to complaining about gasoline prices at the pump? Perhaps the rhetoric will wind down, but with summer around the corner, any sudden increase in the price of gasoline will have Americans virtually calling for the heads of politicians in November,” DeHaan says in a news release. GasBuddy.com operates the BatonRougeGasPrices.com website, where you can check out up-to-date prices at stations throughout the Capital Region.