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NEW YORK — For the third straight day it got more painful at the pumps for motorists, as the American Automobile Association said Thursday the price of U.S. regular gasoline hit another all-time high. The average price for regular gas rose two-tenths of a cent to $1.742 a gallon at self-service stations. Before this week, the record high by AAA standards was set late last summer, toward the end of the peak driving season. A year ago, the average gasoline price was $1.68 a gallon, said the AAA, which is the largest motorist and travel group in the United States and commissions a daily survey of more than 60,000 gas stations. U.S. crude oil prices hovered Thursday morning near $36.50 a barrel, compared with about $28 a year ago. The U.S. government earlier this week said that the highest price for gasoline this year is expected in April and May near $1.83 per gallon. The unofficial summer driving season when demand for gasoline is highest begins with the Memorial Day weekend in late May. In relative terms, this is not the highest price per gallon. In 1981, when adjusted for inflation, the average price hit $2.94 a gallon. And American gasoline is inexpensive when compared with European nations which levy heftier taxes on the motor fuel. The costs of transporting fuel -- mainly by pipeline, barge and truck -- and taxes play a large part in the disparity of prices within the 50 states. In general, gasoline prices are highest in the West, and lowest in the Southeast. The difference in taxes shows up in the higher price of fuel in neighboring states. For instance, New Jersey has some of the lowest gasoline prices in the nation while next door, New York's prices are near the top. California continued to have the highest average price in the nation at $2.134 a gallon. Also with prices more than $1.80 a gallon were Hawaii at $2.096, Nevada at $2.055, Arizona at $1.909, New York at $1.865, Oregon at $1.830, Utah at $1.825, Idaho at $1.823 Washington at $1.812
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