Prices at the pump leveling off locally

GasBuddy.com, in a spot check Saturday afternoon of gas prices at the pump, showed gasoline in the City of Cape Girardeau with these prices: $3.74, $3.78, $3.85, $3.89 and $3.99.

• Jackson: $3.65, $3.76, $3.79, $3.83 and $3.89 were noted.
• Scott City: $3.89.
• Perryville: $3.79 and $3.89.

As of Saturday, the national average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $4.26, down a few pennies from a week earlier.

According to a recent American Automobile Association (AAA) survey, 59% of Americans polled said they plan to change their driving habits once gasoline crosses $4 per gallon.

"We're seeing consumers are having real sticker shock," said Vectis Energy Partners's Tamar Essner.

"Gasoline prices will have to rise to between $4.75 to $5.00 in order to get a significant amount of demand destruction," added Lipow Oil Associates's Andrew Lipow.

Essner said taking inflation into account, "the consumer overall is in a much better space today relative to the 1970s."

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