Gasoline prices in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California fell for a second straight week, as high per-gallon costs continued to chip away at demand, said the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The average price for regular self-serve unleaded gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area fell 5.6 cents to $2.901 on Friday from $2.957 one week ago. The price was $2.945 per gallon one month ago and $2.446 one year prior. Prices haven’t reached a new record high since Sept. 6.

“Since gasoline prices neared $3 per gallon a few weeks ago, motorists have cut back driving,” Auto Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp said. “Most people can’t reduce essential driving, such as commuting to work. But it’s easy to save money by cutting back discretionary driving if motorists follow simple tips.”

Thorp suggested combining errands to make one trip along a route instead of several trips, using the more fuel-efficient car for weekend business and driving using a light foot on the gas and brake pedals.

The Orange County area had the lowest average price in Southern California, losing 5 cents to $2.848. The Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc area had the highest gas price, falling 3.4 cents to $2.991. For the first time since early September, none of the areas surveyed had average prices above the $3-a-gallon mark on Friday.

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m. each Friday.