AAA: Gasoline savings locally hit $200 a month

Americans on the highways this Thanksgiving weekend can be grateful for at least one bit of good financial data: The amount of money they're saving at the gas pump.

The savings from the summer highs average $203 a month in Philadelphia and the four suburban counties in Pennsylvania and $217 a month in the three suburban counties in South Jersey, AAA Mid-Atlantic said yesterday.

The auto club calculated the difference based on driving for a typical household and today's average of $2.05 a gallon, down from a high of $4.16 on June 20 in the Pennsylvania counties. In South Jersey, the average is $1.75, compared with a high of $4 on June 15.

Typical driving, AAA said, is 23,100 miles a year - sometimes including two vehicles - and an average of 20 miles per gallon of gasoline.

"Low gas prices make it easier" for local residents to drive to and from their Thanksgiving destinations, said Catherine L. Rossi, AAA Mid-Atlantic's spokeswoman. Prices might drop further in coming weeks, the club said.

Nationally, the average pump price is $1.87.