The average price of unleaded regular in the L.A. area is now $3.951 a gallon, according to the government's new survey, which is eight cents lower than last week. It also marks the first time since the middle of May that the average has been under four bucks – what some economists claim to be an important tipping point in terms of demand. For now, it’s all just guesswork, and keep in mind that the oil market remains volatile. It settled above $115 a barrel today.