ATLANTA — People pumping gas in Georgia may realize it costs more to fill a tank this holiday season.
Georgia's gas price average increased around the Christmas holiday, according to AAA. Georgia drivers are now paying around $3.01 per gallon for unleaded gasoline this Christmas holiday. On Christmas Day, the state average was 5 cents more than it was a week ago and up 22 cents from about a month ago. According to AAA, the average price of gas in Georgia is 31 cents more than last Christmas last year.
It now costs an average of $45.15 to fill a 15-gallon tank of gas, meaning Georgians are paying almost $5 more to fill up compared to a year ago, AAA reports.
“The upward trend in crude oil prices and attacks on ships in the Red Sea caused gas prices to increase across the country,” Montrae Waiters, AAA-The Auto Club Group spokesperson, said in a news release. “This is not the news Georgians wanted to hear ahead of the new year, but unless wholesale gasoline prices change course and drop considerably, pump prices may continue to rise.”
The uptick in gas prices comes about a month after Gov. Brian Kemp's gas tax suspension ended. By law, Kemp’s suspension of the gas tax has to end when the legislature is in session.
AAA said it's a wrap for decreasing gas prices - and people should expect to pay more as drivers edge into a new year.
Since last Monday, the national average for a gallon of gas increased by 6 cents. This marked the first weekly increase since September. With drivers heading to their holiday destinations, they may continue to see pump prices fluctuate slightly during this heavy travel season.