The 4th fuels travel plans

Current gasoline prices are no reason to throw a party — but they won't stop Utahns from celebrating Independence Day.

Utahns are expected to hit the road in high numbers this weekend for the Fourth of July holiday, despite gas prices averaging $1.50 per gallon for unleaded regular in the Salt Lake Valley.

AAA Utah estimates more than 372,00 Utahns will travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend, meaning July Fourth travel will be at its highest level in nearly a decade.

"I think it's a combination of it falling on a Friday — that always makes life easier — and then also the gas prices have been rather stable," said Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA Utah. "That gives people confidence they're not going to find these prices going all over the place.

"And I think people just need to get out of town or take some kind of a break, so I think there's just a combination of factors."

Across the country, AAA predicts 37.4 million people will travel this weekend, an increase of almost 2 percent compared to the same weekend in 2002.

Eighty-two percent of those travelers are expected to go by automobile and 16 percent will travel by plane, according to a AAA survey. That means more than 305,000 Utahns will be on the state's freeways and roads.

Fairclough said the Fourth of July holiday is, typically, a "driving holiday."

"A lot of this is going to visit family, those kinds of things," she said. "You stay with family, and you can do it without horrible expense."

But safety should always be kept in mind, she said. Fatigue that leads to drivers falling asleep is a particular problem during such holiday weekends, she said.

"People need to stop every two hours or 100 miles," get out, stretch and take a break, she said.

Reading the numbers on the gas pump should wake up most people. Across Utah, motorists will find per-gallon, unleaded gas prices in the $1.47 to $1.73 range. Anything in the $1.40s would appear to be a bargain.

AAA reported a Salt Lake City-area average of $1.50 per gallon of unleaded on Tuesday, reflecting an increase of less than a cent from Monday's average. The Provo-Orem average was $1.50 on Monday but jumped to $1.52 on Tuesday.

The Salt Lake City average is 3 cents higher than a month ago and 11 cents higher than the same weekend last year.

Jon Allred, special operations manager for the Utah Energy Office, said the regional average this week is about $1.51 per gallon of unleaded and closer to $1.48 or $1.49 in Utah. That's about 3 cents above the national average and 25 cents below California, he said.

However, an increase of several cents at Utah's pumps by Friday wouldn't surprise him.

In the West, the gasoline bargains appear to be in Wyoming (Rock Springs, $1.37; Cheyenne, $1.38); and Denver ($1.45). Places to avoid a fill-up include San Francisco ($1.97) and Reno ($1.85).

Barring any unforeseen cutbacks by oil producers, analysts say gas prices could hold steady through the summer. However, they are unlikely to go down much until after Labor Day.

"This is the peak driving season, so that's probably just a reflection of the demand," Fairclough said.

Allred said the resumption of oil production in Iraq and steady yields from Nigeria and Venezuela could help push prices lower by the end of the summer.

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