HARRISBURG, Pa. – Labor Day weekend is here, but higher gas prices have some people thinking twice about hitting the road.
According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of gas is on track to set a record high for the Labor Day holiday. The national average currently stands at about $4.12 a gallon, well above the previous Labor Day record of $3.82, set in 2012.
In Pennsylvania, drivers stopping to fill up along the Pennsylvania Turnpike say the higher prices are affecting their holiday plans. Russell Wieszczyk plans to stay home this Labor Day weekend, and he is not alone. “Who can budget when it keeps going up, up, up?” said Wieszczyk.
For some drivers, the rising cost of fuel is making road trips harder to justify. And the increase is not limited to gasoline.
Diesel prices have also climbed to record levels. One person filling up an RV told us that diesel was costing more than $6 a gallon. He said it cost more than $1,000 to fill his tank, hundreds of dollars more than it did last year.
Wieszcyk says he has also made changes to save money at the pump. “We got a hybrid just for that, you know, because we get better gas mileage.”
But not everyone is staying home. Ray Hassey and his family are heading to the Jersey Shore for the holiday weekend, with relatives traveling in from different parts of the country. Hassey says he has watched gas prices rise throughout the year, but that is not stopping him from making the trip.
“The prices are high, but we go anyway. But it just takes a bite out of your wallet that you didn’t really expect to have to pay. But it’s just one of those things in life,” said Hassey.
With Labor Day travel underway, drivers remain split on what comes next.
Some expect prices to continue climbing, while others are hopeful they will begin to fall.