CAPITAL REGION — Four days from the unofficial start of the summer driving season, the first gas station in the Capital Region crossed the $4 mark for a gallon of regular unleaded.

Most stations have held off raising gas prices past that psychological barrier, but probably won’t for much longer as Memorial Day weekend approaches. The average price of regular unleaded gasoline in the Capital Region hit a record high of $3.91 per gallon Monday, 12 cents more than the national average and up about 80 cents from this time last year, according to AAA Northway.

Raj Patel, the manager of the Country Farms convenience store on Erie Boulevard in Schenectady, said he has tried to keep his gas priced below $3.90 to keep attracting customers to the store, but he can’t do it anymore.

“I’m at $3.95, because I’m losing money right now. And maybe it will go up tomorrow again. I was losing money trying to make people come in,” Patel said.

The price of crude oil continued its march into record territory Monday, as light sweet crude settled above $127 a barrel for the first time.

Meanwhile, Americans are now paying an average of $3.79 for a gallon of regular gas, according to a survey by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Diesel, used to transport a wide range of goods, now costs $4.52 a gallon. Those prices, both records, are likely to keep rising, following crude’s upward track.

Mike Bombard, the gasoline manager for Stewarts Shops Corp., said gasoline in the Capital Region is probably 10 to 12 cents cheaper than where it should be based on crude oil prices and the state’s taxes. He said the region has seen some price reductions from selling gas blended with 10 percent corn-based ethanol rather than the more expensive reformulated gasoline mandated for downstate. But, he said even the less-expensive ethanol being sold out of the Port of Albany won’t hold off $4 gas for much longer.

“Friday the market went up like seven cents, so when it goes up on a Friday afternoon obviously [retailers] can’t just put that [price increase] right to the street. Over the next few days you will probably see more $4 gas in Albany,” Bombard said. “There’s only one or two out there now, but if you head north to the Plattsburgh area they’re already at $4 a gallon and south to the Newburgh area there are several players above $4 there also.”

According to Albanygasprices.com, only one retailer in the region, the Gendron Getty Station in Troy, has broken the $4 threshold for regular unleaded.

Gendron Getty officials said they were forced to price regular gas at $4.01 because they buy it from Getty at a premium because they are independent of Getty Petroleum Marketing.

Jason Toews, one of the founders of Albanygasprices.com, said his Web site’s network of gas-price spotters has reported 14 local gas retailers with regular unleaded prices hovering from $3.97 per gallon to $3.99 per gallon.

“Four dollars per gallon is a bit of a psychological barrier. Stations are willing to take a little bit of a hit not to go over that $4 per gallon barrier,” Toews said. “People are very price-sensitive right now and they’re paying attention to the price of gas and if they see one station that’s the first in their local area to go over [$4, they] will remember that and feel like that station is gouging them.”

AAA Northway spokesman Eric Stigberg said gas prices have historically spiked before Memorial Day holiday weekend driving, but might not this year because of lower demand.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Short Term Energy Outlook, released May 6, showed U.S. consumption of liquid fuels and other petroleum is expected to decline in 2008 as a result of the economic slowdown and high petroleum prices.

AAA projects the number of Americans traveling during the Memorial Day holiday will drop slightly compared with last year. AAA estimates that 37.87 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a decrease of nearly 360,000 travelers from last year’s total of 38.23 million.

However, Stigberg said AAA Northway has seen a 10 percent year-over-year increase in people using the not-for-profit’s online “TripTik” program, which plans driving routes.

“Now, that may not necessarily indicate an increase in the number of members traveling by automobile. It could be that those members that are traveling are looking for the best/shortest route to their destination in order to save a few dollars on gas,” he said. “We are expecting 2.19 million New Yorkers to travel this holiday, 1.5 million [in automobiles] and 263,000 by air. I [can’t] compare these figures with last year as this is the first year we’ve collected state data.”

Gas prices also seem to have affected local new-car purchasing patterns.

Nick Bonarrigo, sales manager for Lia Toyota in Colonie, said Toyota’s hybrid car, the Prius, has a 12- to 14-week waiting list for purchase. He said higher gas prices have become a major factor in consumer decision making.

“We’re selling four-door midsize and compact cars and taking in sport utility vehicles and trucks on trade for them,” he said.

Tim Rigney, the sales manager for DeNooyer Chevrolet in Colonie, said sales of new trucks and sport utility vehicles have declined by 25 to 35 percent across the region. He said it’s the worst big vehicle market he’s seen during his 14-year career.

“Everybody is waiting to see what [gas] prices are going to do. They’re waiting for the bubble to pop and come back down again,” he said.