A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline has cost more than $3 on average nationally for 1,000 days.
Get used to it.
According to AAA, the unprecedented price streak that started on Dec. 23, 2010, is likely to continue for at least another 1,000 days and perhaps indefinitely.
"Paying less than $3 a gallon for gasoline may be automotive history for most Americans, like using 8-track tapes or going to a drive-in movie," said AAA Oklahoma spokesman Chuck Mai in a statement. "The reality is that expensive gas is here to stay, which is tough on millions of people who need a car to live their lives."
Oklahoma gets a little relief compared to the national average, and Tulsa prices tend to be lower than the state average.
In Oklahoma, gas was more than $3 a gallon for 241 consecutive days.
The national average was $3.52 on Monday and $3.57 for the year so far. The average price in Tulsa is just above $3.39 per gallon of 87-octane fuel.
"Typically Tulsa has some of the best prices in the state," Mai said. "Today, the Oklahoma average is about 4 cents more, but in the past few months the difference has been as much as 13 to 14 cents between Tulsa and Oklahoma City."
Last year had the most expensive national average prices at $3.60 a gallon, followed by 2011 with $3.51 a gallon. AAA is predicting that the national average will remain above $3.50.
The average American household spent more than $2,900 on gas a year in 2012, which was just under 4 percent of their income, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Mai said he thinks the country's leaders could help prices with a national policy that stimulates domestic production and promotes alternative energies like compressed natural gas.
Prices first swelled past $3 a gallon after Hurricane Katrina for eight days in September 2005. There was a 244-day streak above $3 a gallon from February to October in 2008.
According to AAA's consumer index, 62 percent of Americans have changed their driving habits due to high gas prices.
Regular gas was $3.34 per gallon at QuikTrip stations in Tulsa on Monday.
Susan Hylton 918-581-8381
susan.hylton@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Gas over $3 a gallon in U.S. hits milestone
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