Gasoline prices in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California declined this week, after rising the prior week in response to thin national supplies, due to a drop in demand caused by high pump prices since the hurricanes, said the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The average price for regular self-serve unleaded gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area fell 2 cents to $2.957 on Friday from $2.977 one week ago. The price was $2.978 per gallon one month ago and $2.357 one year prior. Prices haven’t reached a new record high since Sept. 6.

“Twice this year, the average price of gasoline rose to near $3 per gallon and each time demand fell off,” said Auto Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp. “It appears, for the time being, that $3 per gallon is the threshold at which Californians will change their behavior and cut back driving.”

The Orange County area had the lowest average price in Southern California, losing 3.7 cents to $2.898. The Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc area had the highest gas price, slipping 1.7 cents to $3.025. Of the areas surveyed, only the Bakersfield and Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc areas 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.