Today's average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.796 -- 2.6 cents less than yesterday and 29.4 cents less than a week ago. According to the Oil Price Information service, today's average is 42 cents less than at this time last year. Gas prices have dropped 99.8 cents over the last 49 days. Lower demand, a steady decline in crude oil prices and reduced speculation by future traders have driven down prices, according to a spokesman for the Automobile Club of Southern California. Although the price of a barrel of oil increased on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Friday, oil saw its biggest monthly drop in 25 years when the price of crude fell 33 percent last month. The price of crude oil accounts for two-thirds to three-quarters of the price of gasoline, according to an oil company trade association.

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