WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (AFP) - US gasoline prices at the pump broke above two dollars a gallon Monday for the first time in four months and may go higher, a motorists` group said Monday.
Unleaded regular gasoline rose 0.8 cents to 2.005 dollars a gallon on average, according to a daily survey of more than 60,000 self-serve stations by the American Automobile Association, or AAA.
It was the first time the average price of US gasoline had pierced two dollars since June 11.
"The primary reason is record worldwide demand for petroleum products including crude oil and refined oil, and in particular the very high price for crude right now," said AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom.
"In fact, our expectation is that the price of gasoline will continue to drift higher if the price of crude oil stays where it is."
The record price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is 2.054 dollars, set May 26, AAA said.
"I don`t know if it is going to set a new record but certainly if the price of crude does not come down, gasoline prices will continue to increase at least for the foreseeable future," Sundstrom said.
New York`s main crude oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November, hit a record high 55.33 dollars a barrel in electronic trading Monday.