 The end of this week will mark the kickoff to the 4th of July travel period, and driving will cost less than it did last year. Alex Stone reports. Americans are paying on average 13 cents a gallon less this year than a year ago at this time. New data from the Energy Department puts the average price of regular unleaded at $3.44 a gallon. It's been essentially unchanged for a couple of weeks. Weak demand for gas and a lower cost of oil have helped keep gas prices down since Memorial Day weekend.