(WGNO) – “I used my Win Dixie card the other day and paid $1.30 for gas, so life is good,” says David Windom

And life is really good for Windom because the average price for a gallon of gasoline here in Louisiana is $1.81 and the national average is just under $2.00.

Regardless, motorists near and far are rejoicing.

“You can notice the prices dropping. What might take you $15 to get a quarter tank is now giving you a half tank a lot of times. I’m definitely loving it,” says Joey Russo.

Don Redman, the spokesman for AAA Louisiana says perhaps surprisingly, gas prices alone don’t determine whether people travel or not.

He says the last time gas prices were similar to where they are now was in 2008/2009 when the great recession began.

“About 91% of everyone traveling is going to be doing so in a vehicle. So the roadways are going to be very busy with people trying to get to grandmas for Christmas,” says Redman.

The roads are slick as we anticipate wet weather leading up to Christmas and Redman says AAA anticipates rescuing 900,000 stranded motorists this holiday season.

He says the top three issues are dead batteries, flat tires and getting locked out.

So plan ahead and always keep a cell phone and a charger handy he says, just a simple tip to make your holiday travel plans run a lot smoother.

“It’s always good to go back home for the holidays and see family and friends again,” says Henok Malede.