ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — America is bracing for one of the biggest travel weekends of the year. And our wallets are bracing, too. Gas prices across the country remain high, and in some areas, we're hitting records.
On Thursday, Florida's average price for unleaded regular fuel hit a record of $4.58 a gallon, according to AAA. This is just a penny behind the current national average of $4.59.
So how are some people coping with a gallon of gas costing more than a full meal at Wendy's? They're canceling trips they no longer can afford.
"Gas is really high right now, and I'm not sure if I'm going out of town this weekend," said Selena Scott, a Brandon resident. "But I know it's hard to just work, at least, with gas prices being so high."
Scott said she had hopes of going out of town with family for the long weekend. Now, that's contingent on splitting the gas with family.
"Not really sure. It depends on the family if we all get together and pool," she said.
We're looking at the priciest Memorial Day weekend gas on record.
"Even in the face of higher prices, we are still seeing an increase in the number of travelers compared to last year so we’re certainly feeling some unprecedented pain at the pump," said Mark Jenkins, a spokesperson for AAA. "But people are still begrudgingly paying those prices in order to have some sense of normalcy out there this holiday weekend.”
AAA does expect to rescue about 388,000 stranded motorists from flat tires dead batteries and lock-outs, Jenkins said. If you don’t want to be one of those people, AAA says now is the best time to take your vehicle in for a full inspection.