COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus drivers start the new work week with gas prices at their lowest levels since 2009.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas was $2.35 in Monday’s survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That is a 20-cent drop since last Monday and is 76 cheaper than what motorists were paying at this time last year.
The statewide average price is $2.41, down 19 cents from a week ago and more than 70 cents less than a year ago.
Plentiful global crude oil supplies continue to be a primary contributing factor to the falling prices at the gas pump. Oil has now fallen 47 percent since reaching a peak of $107 a barrel in June this year.
The prices are good news for consumers but there are also worries the recent plunge is a sign of a sickly global economy.
Analysts say consumers can expect to see gas prices decline as the New Year approaches, but AAA public relations manager Michael Green says the price of crude oil would have to fall by another $25 to $30 per barrel to cause the national average to drop below the $2.00 per gallon threshold this winter.
The national average Monday was $2.55, down 12 cents from a week ago. Last year at this time, the national average was $3.23.