Normally, gas prices tend to come down this time of year, with people cutting back on their driving, including because of more inclement weather. But they’re currently at the highest in seven years and keep climbing. Patrick de Haan, with Gas Buddy dot-com, says a number of global energy factors have combined to keep oil prices up. That includes a coal shortage in China…

click to listen to Patrick de Haan

And de Haan says production continues to lag, with OPEC also declining to ramp it up. So, at this time, there’s no indication there’ll be a drop. But he doesn’t expect the price pace will be very dramatic…

click to listen to Patrick de Haan

Another reason for the high prices is the pandemic. There’d been a major drop in people hitting the road, with a lot of people continuing to work at home. But, with the vaccine, and restrictions easing, more workers are commuting to the office again.