Gas prices up again

Iowans who might be grumbling about the high prices on gasoline may at least be calmed by hearing we’re paying less than most Americans. Daron Van Helden is a spokesman for Triple-A Motor Club in Iowa.He says the current statewide average is a dollar-41 which is 23 cents higher than Labor Day weekend last year. The national average is a dollar-50. Van Helden says the higher gas prices we’ve seen the past several months are having virtually no effect on our driving habits.Triple-A estimates more than 28-million people will be hitting the highways this weekend for trips of 100-miles or more. When air travel is added to the equation, it’s nearly 34-million Americans who’ll be traveling. Van Helden says Iowa motorists can help themselves dramatically by plotting out the course of their trip on a map before they get in the car.While the current statewide average for a gallon of gas is a dollar-41, the Labor Day weekend price in 1998 was only a dollar-two.