Washington ? Gasoline prices are expected to be relatively low this summer, so motorists might want to take to the road despite the dismal economy if the federal government projections hold.

The Energy Information Administration said regular-grade gasoline is expected to average $2.23 a gallon during the April-through-September driving season, although it will likely fluctuate and could jump to more than $2.30 a gallon during the peak driving period in late summer.

But that’s still a bargain compared with last summer, when gasoline cost an average of $3.81 a gallon.

Much lower crude oil prices, which are projected to averaged $53 a barrel this year after soaring as high as $147 a barrel last summer, are the primary reason for the lower prices at the pump.

The EIA report also said U.S. crude oil production is expected to rebound this year by an additional 440,000 barrels, to 5.4 million barrels a day, after a decline last year. The production increase stems mostly from the startup of two huge new oil platforms in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The Thunder Horse platform, which BP began operating late last year, is expected to pump more than 200,000 barrels a day and Chevron’s new Tahiti platform is expected to produce 125,000 barrels a day by midyear.

The additional production, however, is not expected to significantly change America’s reliance on imports, which still account for about 58 percent of domestic petroleum use.