BALTIMORE — Over the past few weeks, drivers noticed a slight decrease in gas prices.
As of Wednesday, the gas price is 13 cents less than a week ago.
However, the big question drivers want to know is if prices at the pump will continue going down.
"There are a lot of factors in play with gas prices right now, geopolitical events, what's going on with Russia and Ukraine, those are factors that are certainly still at play, and are factors regarding the price of crude oil," said Ragina Ali, AAA Mid- Atlantic Spokesperson. "We also are very much in the midst of the tropical hurricane season so that too could impact gas prices."
Simply put, if the cost of crude oil goes up, then the price of gas goes up, it's all dependent on the economy which is why gas prices are fluctuating.
Currently, the price of crude oil dropped, and Marylanders are seeing a slight break at the pump, so much— that people didn't realize a difference when Maryland implemented the gas tax.
"On July 1, 2022, Maryland implemented an increased gas tax, which will translate to about an additional seven cents per gallon, but because we have seen the decline in crude oil prices motorist really have not seen that increase in the gas tax, reflected at the pumps," Ali said.
Some drivers say the small decrease in gas prices made a big difference.
Baltimore resident Dwayne Cantui said he just started driving again when prices dropped.
"I was catching a train or even riding a bike, something more feasible for my finances because I could not afford the gas price that high..I feel like we being set up fluctuating gas prices like that, they need to keep it reasonable at a steady pace," Cantui said.
"Every little bit counts but it's still a lot of money," said Baltimore resident Melissa M. "I put $20 dollars here and there in my tank but it adds up. Then at markets, the food is so astronomically high. We're not winning. It's really hard."
The average price of gas in Maryland is 4.58. That's 13 cents less than a week ago, but a $1.58 more than last year.
AAA Mid-Atlantic recommends these saving tools to save money on gas:
- Fuel Price Finder (http://www.AAA.com/fuelfinder [aaa.com]) locates the lowest fuel price in your area.
- AAA Gas Cost Calculator (http://gasprices.aaa.com/aaa-gas-cost-calculator/ [gasprices.aaa.com]) helps budget travel expenses.
- TripTik Mobile (http://www.aaa.com/mobile [aaa.com]) plots fuel prices along your travel route.