With the US national average price of gasoline having increased 2.3 cents a gallon to touch $3.86 per gallon last week, it is now being predicted by leading petroleum experts that the year 2012 will apparently set a record for high gas prices in the country.

According to the predictions put forth by Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy. com's senior petroleum analyst, 2012 is seemingly on its way to go down in history as the year with an all-time-high annual average gas price in the US.

Pointing out that the national average price of gas for 2012 is $3.63 per gallon at present, DeHaan said that the yearly average price thus far this year is comparatively higher than the last year figures of $3.51 per gallon national average price of gas.

Over the last one month, there has been a 15.8-cent per gallon increase in national average gas price; with the figures for the same period last year being 24.9 cents per gallon lower than the current prices.

Meanwhile, though the average price of gas inched closer to the `$4 per gallon' mark in the past week, experts are of the opinion that, with the peak summer driving period having come to an end, there would likely be a fall in the gas prices soon.

About the likelihood of a drop in gas prices in the coming months, DeHaan said: "As we push deeper into September, the more optimistic I am that these high prices will begin to come down slightly."