Your rates of bank

The federal government this week predicted that the average national price of a gallon of regular gasoline is likely to peak this summer at a point north of $3.60 a gallon and may hit $4 a gallon.

That isn’t exactly a shocking prediction — a gallon of regular in the Los Angeles area already is at $3.73 a gallon, up from $3.28 a year ago.

So how are consumers reacting?

First, they are driving less. In a survey last month of 1,000 adults, about 64 percent said that gas prices have caused them to alter their driving habits, 19 percent said they have cut back their driving enough to affect their daily lives, and 5 percent said they have stopped driving altogether.

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