Drivers start to feel relief as gas prices continue to drop
CHICAGO (CBS) – Here's some good news for drivers who have been feeling pain at the pump lately.
The national average for a gallon of regular gas dropped below $4 for the first time in months.
While we won't see prices that low in Chicago, as CBS 2's Asal Rezaei tells us, we're still seeing the numbers go down.
If you've been struggling with high gas prices it looks like relief is here after more than five months of record-high prices.
In the city, we're seeing lower numbers where not long ago we were seeing prices over $6 per gallon.
AAA is reporting the national average for a gallon of regular is about $3.99. They say prices dropped about 15 cents in the past week.
In Illinois, the lowest gas prices are closer to the Wisconsin border, and in southern parts of the state where some gas stations there are seeing prices as low as $3.38 -- according to gasbuddy.com.
We saw oil prices rise in mid-2020 as economies recovered from the initial shock of the pandemic, and then rose even more as the U.S. and allies announced sanctions against Russian oil over the war in Ukraine. Record high prices were also seen in June.
Some drivers we talked to say they're already seeing relief in their pockets.
"I drive for Lyft so it's a big party. I'm happy it's going down - I wasn't happy it was going up. I do feel an immediate difference in my pocket," said Marvin Russell
Some experts say prices are dropping due to less demand as Americans are cutting back on driving as a way to cope with inflation -- many predicting gas prices could continue to go down