NEW YORK - With the Fourth of July holiday just a few days away, a record number of drivers are expected to hit the highways as pump prices continue to drop, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Experts had predicted gas could reach $4 a gallon this summer.

South Carolina is the first state with gasoline priced at under $3 per gallon, and AAA predicts that Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee will join the Palmetto State by Independence Day. Experts forecast other states might also see below $3 a gallon by summer€™s end.

The average price of regular gasoline nationally hit $3.38 per gallon this week, a drop of 38 cents from a month ago, and 18 cents below this time in 2011. The price decrease is quickening, said Michael Green, AAA spokesman. "This is great news as we move into the middle of the summer driving season," he said.

AAA forecasts that around 42.3 million drivers will be on the highways for the Fourth of July holiday, a 4.9% bump from 2011 and the largest number in 10 years. "Declining gasoline prices are motivating a lot of people to get on the road. And because the holiday is on a Wednesday, a lot of people are planning to take off the entire week," said Green.