With the July 4 travel holiday already underway, gasoline prices struck a fourth record in as many days, settling on average at $4.098 per gallon up from $4.092, according to figures compiled by AAA.

The new level places prices 3% above those in June and approximately 39% above those a year ago for an increase of $1.15 per gallon.

The most expensive gasoline is still to be found in Alaska where motorists are paving $4.689 followed by California at $4.574 and Hawaii at $4.441. The lowest price in the nation is in Oklahoma at $3.885 a gallon. Diesel fuel is holding steady at $4.767.

A research poll conducted by CNN indicates that 31% of Americans altered their July 4 travel plans by either canceling or shortening trips, while AAA predicts that the number of Americans traveling over the weekend will drop 1.3% for 41 million fewer travelers than in 2007.

With the price of oil briefly trading above $150 in early electronic transactions on Thursday, July 3, there is no relief in sight for millions of Americans whose budgets are strained to the breaking point by high prices.

Increasingly consumers are dramatically shifting their driving habits, abandoning trucks and SUVs in favor of more fuel efficient vehicles, and seeking alternate forms of transportation including public transit, scooters, motorcycles, and bicycles.