You soak up ' it! States with the lowest gas

Jim Weber / AP

A tank in Memphis, Tennessee gas prices in the State in the past by 9.7 percent fills Travis Wayne 12 months fallen-the fourth largest decline of the country.

By Lisa A. Nelson and Samuel Weigley have 24/7 Wall St.Fiscal suffer in Europe and sluggish employment growth in the United States put downward pressure on oil prices. As a result, gasoline prices in two States fell last month, dropping 7.1 per cent across the country. Gas prices on the edge are this in many of less than $3 per gallon.

Despite the general decline in the area between gas prices between the States is still wide. 24/7 Wall St. examines AAA fuel gauge daily report the 10 States determine their Bewohner pay the least at the pump. We found that the decisive factor in determining the price of gas is location. Most of the States with low gas prices are located on or near the Gulf of Mexico. You have also the lowest gas taxes in the country.

Five of the 10 States with the lowest gas prices are on the Gulf Coast, where disproportionately much crude oil is processed. Also among the five countries not on the Gulf Coast borders three coastal States. Residents of these three countries benefit from lower costs for the transport of oil.

"Gulf Coast States benefit, that at any time access to the refineries, which are in the region,", says AAA spokesman Michael green. "In fact Gulf Coast refineries produce the most petrol from any region of the country and have usually a surplus, which means that they send gasoline is to other parts of the country in Gulf Coast refineries."

The States with the lowest gas prices have a more steep decline of seen these prices when compared to the rest of the country. Enjoy lower prices than South Carolina and Mississippi, the States with the two lowest gas prices, now by 9.1 percent to a month ago. Green crude West Texas intermediate (WTI), produced primarily in the Gulf Coast region is cheaper than other forms of crude oil, and has pointed out, a faster decline in the price seen.

Another factor for the gas prices is a State gasoline tax. All but two States on this list are in the lower half of the Member States in relation to the total taxes collected, which contain a federal 18.4 cent a gallon tax and State control. But the relationship between gas taxes and prices is far from perfect. Alaska has the lowest gas control but the second highest gas prices. The States with the second and third lowest gas control, Wyoming, and New Jersey did not our list.

While not always the case tends to transport costs in the States on 24/7 list be lower than the national average. Nine of the 10 States are in the lower half of the States with regard to transport costs, three in the bottom 10 States.

AAA provided 24/7 Wall St. the latest average price of regular unleaded gasoline by the State. The Organization offered prices in a week, a month, and one year before. Also the number of refineries and refining capacity from 1 January this year by the US energy information administration investigated 24/7 Wall St. provided. The American Petroleum Institute in accordance with State gas control who were also from the beginning of this year. These include State gas taxes and other taxes (including VAT).

These are the ten States with the cheapest gas.

(1) South Carolina

Regular price of gas per gallon: $2.99tax per gallon: 16.8 cents (4. lowest)number of oil refineries: 0
South Carolina has the lowest average gasoline prices in the nation and is the only State currently under the $3 per gallon mark. Decreased compared to the previous year, gasoline prices in the State by 10.5 percentage points-binding Mississippi for the highest proportional decline in the country. Low prices in South Carolina are expected to be due to some low tax per gallon of 16.8 cents, which is the fourth lowest in the country. South Carolina prices have dropped since its peak in early April of $3.70 by about 19 percent.

2. Mississippi

Regular price of gas per gallon: $3.06tax per gallon: 18.8 cents (7. lowest)number of oil refineries: 3
Gasoline prices are about 18 percent of Mississippi annual highlight in the first week of April. The State is one of the lowest in the entire taxes and fees per gallon gasoline, which help to keep fuel prices low. The three refineries in Mississippi 364,000 barrels of crude oil process raw per day, 11th best in the country. Low costs for fuel could contribute also to low gasoline prices of the State. There is only a 19 cent per gallon tax for gas in Mississippi, sold the seventh lowest in the country. The State has to also no sales tax, what pay people at the pump.

3. Alabama

Regular price of gas per gallon: $3.07tax per gallon: 20.9 cents (14 lowest)number of oil refineries: 3
Alabama has three large refineries that process the 120,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The State was also a 36 cent fall in gas prices last year-the highest decline in the nation. More quickly in the State, with a decline of 8 percent alone last month falling gasoline prices. Transport costs in Alabama are the ninth lowest in the country, and the State has the eighth lowest exchange rate, 16 cents per gallon.

4. Tennessee

Regular price of gas per gallon: $3.08tax per gallon: 21.4 cents (15 lowest)number of oil refineries: 1
Decreased the average gas prices in Tennessee in the past by 9.7 per cent 12 months (the fourth largest decline of the country). Gas prices up 28 cents, a decline of 8.3% fell in the last month alone. Based on the cost of living index, the 15 lowest State to gas in the nation take help drivers in Tennessee the seventh lowest cost of transport in the United States also pay Tennessee Treiber low gas prices, only control 21.4 cents per gallon, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

5. Louisiana

Regular price of gas per gallon: $3.16tax per gallon: 20 cents (the split 12 lowest)number of oil refineries: 18
Louisiana is the second to Texas in the number of oil refineries and litres of oil per day, more than 3.20 million barrels between its 18 large refineries processed. With proximity to the offshore drilling in the Gulf and the relatively low state tax on gas-20 cents per Gallone--Louisiana numbers drivers some of the lowest gas prices in the nation.

Read More

US traffic deaths at lowest level since 1949

By Paul A. Eisenstein, The Detroit Bureau


U.S. traffic fatalities continue to plunge, reaching their lowest level since 1949, well before the creation of the American interstate highway system.

According to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 32,310 people died in traffic accidents in 2011, a 1.7% year-over-year decline. That marks the seventh consecutive year that the death rate has declined.

Since just 2005, traffic fatalities have fallen by more than 25% — and when measured in terms of deaths per mile driven the figure has reached its lowest level since record-keeping began in 1921, according to NHTSA.

Romney: I Saved Auto Industry by Opposing Bailout
While federal officials declined to point to specific factors, experts suggest there are several reasons behind the sharp drop. These include a crackdown on drunk driving – which some once linked to as many as half of all highway deaths – increased use of seatbelts and improved vehicle design complying with stricter federal safety requirements. In just the last several years, NHTSA has mandated the installation of electronic stability control systems on all new vehicles, along with tougher roof crush standards.

But some experts also point to the economic downturn which has been credited – or blamed – for a sharp drop in the number of miles the average American has been driving in recent years. The preliminary NHTSA study shows U.S. motorists collectively drove 35.7 billion vehicle miles fewer in 2011 than the year before – a 1.2% decline. As the economy recovers, some observers warn, fatalities could rise as people again drive more.

Cadillac ATS to Start at $33,990
But even when adjusted to an apples-to-apples, the death rate is down, reaching a low of 1.09 for every 100 million miles driven compared to 1.11 deaths in 2010. At its peak, that was closer to 7 per 100 million vehicle miles.

As recently as 2005, traffic accidents were responsible for 43,510 deaths in the United States – a figure that includes pedestrian fatalities.

The decline varied by region, and New England experienced the biggest drop, fatalities down by 7.2% last year. In the American heartland, including Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, the death toll dipped 5.3%. But the three-state region including Hawaii, California and Arizona bucked the trend, with fatalities actually increasing by 3.3% last year.

Relief at the Pump: Oil Prices Slip Below $100
Despite the overall decline, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has repeatedly said the traffic fatality rate is still too high and is pressing for further efforts to bring it down. The agency is in the preliminary stages of preparing new rules to address what LaHood has described as an “epidemic” of distracted driving deaths.
NHTSA, meanwhile, is proposing new rules that would mandate a brake-throttle override, a system that would cut engine power if a motorist were to inadvertently hit both the brake and throttle at the same time. Such driver error has been blamed, in many cases, for reports of so-called unintended acceleration.

Read More