Gas prices across the country have fallen to an average of less than $2 a gallon for the first time since March 2009, AAA reports. The national average price is $1.998 a gallon.
The prices are even lower in some areas. Missouri has the cheapest gas in the country ($1.77 a gallon), followed by Oklahoma ($1.78) and South Carolina ($1.78).
“Drivers across the country are celebrating the historic return of cheaper gas prices,” Marshall Doney, AAA president and CEO said in a statement.
Related: Here’s How Low Gas Prices Could Go
AAA estimates that Americans have saved more than $550 each this year thanks to lower gas prices, for a total savings of more than $115 billion.
In addition to lower seasonal demand, the stronger dollar, and a weakening global economy, the reduced prices reflect an over-supply of oil and gas. Gas prices are typically cheaper in the winter due to lower seasonal demand and a switch to winter-grade gasoline, which costs about 25 percent less to produce.
AAA expects that prices could fall even further in the next few weeks, although they could rise about 50 cents by the end of winter as refineries conduct maintenance to prepare for the summer driving season. Even with the increase, AAA expects prices to remain below $3 a gallon through 2016.
Those lower prices have Americans hitting the road. Americans had driven 2.6 trillion miles in 2015 through the end of October, a 3.4 percent increase over last year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.
