National gas average projected to hit $1.99 on Thanksgiving

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – Americans hitting the road for Thanksgiving will certainly have something to be extra thankful for: the cheapest gasoline prices since March 2009. The low prices are showing up just in time for millions of motorists that are heading out, saving them $1.5 billion over the five days that GasBuddy’s recent survey found most motorists will be traveling.

GasBuddy projects that by Thanksgiving Day the national average will be $1.99 per gallon, nearly 80 cents per gallon cheaper than last year and $1.29 per gallon cheaper than 2013. As prices at the pump have plunged, the...