Gas prices are up 42 cents a gallon from this time last year, fueled by lingering shortages since OPEC cut production last year. The bad news is that those higher fuel costs aren’t likely to thin the crowds at vacation hot spots. Despite the popularity of gas-hungry sport utility vehicles, the average family vehicle sold this year gets 24.7 miles per gallon, which means the higher fuel costs add just $17 to the cost of a 1,000-mile road trip. “That’s not enough of an increase to abandon plans,” says Geoff Sundstrom, spokesman for the American Automobile Association. Diehard misers are advised to postpone their trips until Indian summer. The gas squeeze should end by September, according to the Energy Information Administration, which predicts that prices will drop to an average of $1.39 per gallon by Labor Day. By then there may even be room to spread out a beach blanket.
