Gas prices continued their decline Monday, dropping five cents in the past week in Connecticut and the New London-Norwich area and seven cents nationwide.
The average price for regular gasoline hit just under $4.01 a gallon in the state Monday, $3.89 in the region and $3.70 across the country. This year's highs, a month ago, were $4.28 in the state, $4.26 in the region and $3.97 nationally.
The fluctuating price of crude oil, from which gasoline is derived, a slowing economy and drop in demand are placing downward pressure on prices at the pump, said Jim MacPherson, a AAA spokesman.
"You also have people who have become a bit shy about driving and how they use fuel in the face of $4 a gallon," he said.
