Gas Price Near Murrieta Drops For 11th Consecutive Day

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County dropped Friday for the 11th consecutive day, decreasing 1.1 cents to $4.042, its lowest amount since Sept. 30.

The average price has dropped 11.7 cents during the streak, including 1.9 cents on Thursday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 9.6 cents less than one week ago, but 30.9 cents more than one month ago and 24.8 cents higher than one year ago. It has risen 77.4 cents since the start of the year.

The streak of dropping prices began eight days after a run of 20 increases in 22 days totaling 59.8 cents pushed the average price to its highest amount since July 21, 2015.

"When prices are dropping like this, it's tempting to wait until your gas tank is almost empty to fill up again, but doing that regularly can actually damage your vehicle and cost you more money over the long run," said Jeffrey Spring, the Automobile Club of Southern California's corporate communications manager.

"We recommend that drivers keep at least a quarter-tank of fuel in their vehicle at all times to avoid overheating the electric fuel pump or causing tank sediment damage to the fuel pump pickup, the fuel filter or the fuel injectors."

— By City News Service