The national average fell .4 cents to $1.659 per gallon for regular unleaded, according to motorist group AAA. A recent 86-day streak of declines ended at $1.656 in mid-December when prices bumped slightly higher.
Prices at the pump have dropped $1.751 per gallon from a year ago and are now down 59.6% from the record-high of $4.114 per gallon reached in mid-July.
All 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia recorded prices below $2 a gallon, with the cheapest gas found in Wyoming ($1.452).
Alaska continued to have the highest price at $2.572 per gallon, followed by Hawaii, which stands at $2.371.
The price of crude oil, the main component in petrol fuels, has also declined as crude investors fear the global economic slowdown will decrease demand for fuel.
Oil prices fell Monday as the January contract, which sank below $40, closed last week. The February contract became the front-month contract, with prices starting the day above $40 a barrel. Crude prices have declined more than $100 a barrel from a record high of $147.27 on July 11.
The AAA figures, compiled by Oil Price Information Services, are state-wide averages based on credit card swipes at up to 100,000 service stations across the nation.
