LAS VEGAS -- Gas prices have dropped dramatically, loosening the pull on pocketbooks. But the relief doesn't add up to much when you look at how quickly prices shot up over the year.

"It's about time they came down. Oil's down to $80 a barrel," said resident Steve Davis.

Prices around the Valley are coming down, but slowly.

"Certainly looks a lot better than $4, close to $5," said resident Garry James.

This summer was a tough one for Valley residents, after gas prices topped out at $4.27 a gallon.

Many drivers said they are pumped at the pump.

"When they go down, you tend to forget about how high they were, and you appreciate where they are right now," James said.

"You just wonder what's going on. What's the delay? Because they sure don't delay when it's time to go up." Davis said.

"Change in a barrel of crude oil by $1, you can expect a 2-cent relationship at the pump," said AAA spokesman Michael Geeser.

It's easy to see that relationship isn't proving true as the cost of fuel skims just over $3.

"It seems retailers out there are trying to catch up from what they lost over the summer. They simply couldn't pass on the price," Geeser said.

But they will pass it on, when the pressure of competition and low demand sets in, he said.

Experts said they think the cost of gas could drop down to less than $3 before the holidays. Then after the new year, they predict prices will climb again.