AAA Texas' Weekend Gas Watch; Fuel Prices Inch Upward

    HOUSTON--July 26, 2002--Pump prices inched upward throughout the Lone Star State during the past week, according to the Weekend Gas Watch, compiled by AAA Texas. The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for motoring trips.
    The statewide average price for regular self-serve is currently $1.33 a gallon -- up a penny since last week. Houston posted the biggest price increase -- up 1.5 cents at $1.33 a gallon. Although San Antonio showed the second biggest price increase, it still has the least expensive gasoline -- up 1.4 cents at $1.28 a gallon. The most expensive fuel can still be purchased in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In Dallas, motorists are shelling out an average of $1.35 a gallon, with motorists in Fort Worth paying $1.34 a gallon.
    "With world-wide stock prices in a slump, it's difficult to know if fuel prices will continue upward or retreat downward," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "The current fuel price averages are on par with what motorists were paying this time last year."

	   Average prices as of 12:01 a.m., July 26, 2002:

                                   Change from
Area                   Regular      last week         Record Price
----                   -------     -----------      ----------------
Austin - San Marcos    $1.286      +1.3 cents       $1.538 (5/15/01)
Corpus Christi         $1.299      +1.3 cents       $1.505 (5/8/01)
Dallas                 $1.346      +0.8 cent        $1.666 (5/12/01)
Ft. Worth              $1.339      +0.9 cent        $1.660 (5/22/01)
Houston                $1.330      +1.5 cents       $1.639 (5/12/01)
San Antonio            $1.282      +1.4 cents       $1.498 (5/9/01)

    AAA Texas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas' members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' web site at www.aaa-texas.com.