Holiday drivers pay nearly $4 for gas

NEW YORK, May 26 (UPI) -- The start of the summer driving season began with gasoline prices rising for the 20th straight day to nearly $4 a gallon, the automotive group AAA said.

For Memorial Day, the number of Americans traveling 50 or more miles from home this holiday weekend was expected to slide, CNNMoney.com reported.

"Most people are going to travel closer to home this year, and they're going to take fewer trips," said AAA spokesman Mike Pina.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gas Monday rose to a record high of $3.936, up six-tenths of a cent from the previous high of $3.930, AAA said.

By comparison, last Memorial Day weekend, drivers paid an average of $3.23 a gallon.

Skyrocketing gas prices have kept some motorists off the road, figures released by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration suggest.

Federal officials say Americans drove 4.3 percent fewer miles on public roads in March, in the first year-over-year March decline since 1979.

For those traveling by plane, the price of a commercial ticket was expected to be 8 percent higher than it was last year, partly because most U.S. air carriers have announced fuel surcharges.