Puget Sound gas prices 45 cents lower than 2013 | GasBuddy
Published 11:22 pm Sunday, December 21, 2014
Plunging gas prices have Americans saving an estimated $250 million per day on gasoline compared to a year ago but don’t expect to see more chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
A GasBuddy survey of 600 Seattle respondents finds that 85 percent of us say we will save or pay off debt with the extra savings, while only 14 percent say we’ll spend it on holiday presents.
Among those planning to travel, 19 percent said that record-low gas prices are impacting their plans. This includes traveling greater distances (39 percent); purchasing more gifts (17 percent); upgrading accommodations (6 percent) and spending more on food (17 percent).
“Nearly half of us (44 percent) find year-end travel stressful and the greatest single cause of it, apparently, is traffic (37 percent), with inclement weather (27 percent) followed closely by cost (26 percent),” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with
GasBuddy.com. “But with some extra cash in our pockets, that may help many of us get an early start and avoid the traffic with 36 percent of travelers say they’re hitting the road on Saturday, Dec. 20, or Sunday, Dec. 21.”
Additional findings from the GasBuddy December Holiday Travel 2014 survey:
• The Saturday before Christmas will be the busiest travel day with 32 percent planning to hit the road to start the holiday season, followed by the day after New Year’s with 28 percent heading home.
• Seventy-nine percent of those who are traveling will be doing so by car, with 32 percent traveling over 500 miles round trip.
• Over half of Seattleites find holiday traveling stressful; the two main factors are traffic (45 percent) and cost (24 percent).
• Sixty-three percent find escaping the city for the holidays at least somewhat challenging, with 8 percent finding in extremely challenging.
• Seattle ranked #4, (behind Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta) as the metropolitan city where residents find it the most challenging to leave for the holidays, followed by Washington DC.
