Matt Skryja

(CNN) -- A celebrity gossip Web site has caught Maria Shriver a third time apparently violating California's law against using a cell phone while driving. Shriver's husband, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, last year supported and signed into law a ban on using handheld communication devices while driving. Shriver's most recent alleged violations come on the heels of AAA Northern California's "Heads Up Driving Week," during which the auto club urged motorists to get in the habit of driving without distractions such as cell phones, fast food and tuning the stereo. "We hope that by driving distraction-free for a week, people can pick up the habit for life," AAA spokesman Matt Skryja said in a news release.

AAA wants drivers in the U.S. to avoid chatting on the phone and texting while driving for one week. The American Automobile Association (AAA) wants a nationwide one-week ban on text messaging and cell phone communication, urging drivers to limit the amount of distractions they have to deal with while behind the wheel. "Try it for a week; that's all we ask," AAA spokesperson Matt Skryja said in a press statement. "It only takes an instant for a crash to occur. We hope that by driving distraction-free for a week people can pick up the habit for life." Specifically, Skyrja, who represents AAA of Northern California, Nevada and Utah, said drivers will "pick up the habit" of safe driving if they have to do it for seven days. AAA hopes drivers will listen -- and the event will take place from October 5 to October 11.

There is no “magic bullet” to lower gas prices, President Obama told Americans over the weekend in his weekly radio and Internet address. Yet a recent poll concluded that higher gas prices are a main reason 70 percent of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. We discuss rising gas prices. Guest: Matt Skryja, spokesman for AAA of Northern California

AAA is one of the best resources for drivers around and they have just added a new resource to their arsenal that comes in the form of a free mobile app that is supposed to be used in the minutes after a driver is involved in a crash. The "AAA Insurance" app is for the iPhone and iPad and it walks drivers through the post-traffic crash process telling them step by step what to do and who to call. You don't need to be a customer to download it. "There are a lot of things to do and information to collect following a collision that can seem overwhelming when combined with the stress of a car crash," said AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja. "The AAA Insurance app provides step-by-step instructions on what information you should gather, including photos. It also helps you request a tow truck."

Secured this on-camera interview of the CEO with a member of the insurance trade media.

Gasoline prices are dropping by a hefty penny-a-day rate across most of California this week, according to price surveys Friday. Averages are back under the $4 mark, hitting a statewide average of $3.917 by Friday morning, according to the American Automobile Association. June is the first month since January that California pump prices have not set a new monthly record. Consumers continue to experience welcome relief at the pump as gasoline markets in the U.S. are returning to relatively lower prices, says Matt Skryja, a spokesman for AAA Northern California.

Students from Eureka High School are setting an example of safe and responsible driving -- an effort that has been recognized nationally and provides a greater ability to reach out to other Humboldt County teens. For the last four years Eureka High students have participated in the National Youth Leadership Council's Project Ignition. Project Ignition is a nationwide service-based learning endeavor that promotes students teaching their peers the perils of driving impaired or distracted. "In the majority of car crashes involving teen drivers, it was other people who were killed, not even the teen drivers. This really underscores the link between teen driver safety and the safety of everyone on the road," said Matt Skryja, AAA Northern California spokesperson. "Parents and teens need to understand the serious responsibility of driving and the risks and consequences involved."

With so many charity-fundraising events taking place in San Francisco, to many of its citizens, it feels as though the pumping of our country’s benevolent heart lies in the Bay Area. That sentiment was reverberated by the 2014 Red Cross Gala, in Treasure Island. The evening was the culmination of almost a year of events raising awareness. The normally quiet lawn was spectacularly lit in shades of red from the tents, stage and over 750 guests dressed in their most stylish designer attire. The Bay Area Chapter selected Paula Downey, the President and Chief Executive Officer of CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA insurer, as the recipient. Gala co-chairs Lillian Phan and Gwenyth Borden presented the award with heartfelt-style, by creating an emotional video to introduce the honoree. Paula was recognized for embodying the visionary qualities of a humanitarian by being a leader, an advocate, and a philanthropist, who has made a significant contribution to the Bay Area community. She is the first woman to receive this title.

AAA Northern California is offering free rides home to any Bay Area Super Bowl fans who drink too much to drive during Sunday’s football game. AAA will offer its Tipsy Tow program from 6 p.m. Sunday evening through 6 a.m. Monday, according to AAA spokesman Matt Skryja. “Give AAA a call and we’ll make sure you get home safely,” Skryja said.

AAA Northern California is proud to announce that five Northern California restaurants and three hotels have once again made AAA's exclusive list of Five Diamond Award winners. “The economy presented various challenges for the hospitality industry this year,” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja. “To maintain the highest level of hospitality during these difficult economic times is remarkable, and makes these recipients all the more deserving.”

It's a long drive down Mexico's western peninsula – 810 miles from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas – but experts on Baja California travel say it's doable if you follow some simple precautions and rules of the road. “Only a Mexican-based insurance policy is accepted by Mexican authorities as evidence of financial responsibility,” California State Automobile Association spokesman Matt Skryja says. All of the towed vehicles must be insured, including the boat.

The rapid descent of gas prices accelerated last month, with the average price per gallon in California falling well below $2. "The erosion of consumer demand and economic struggles continue to drive gas prices down," said Matt Skryja, Northern California spokesman for AAA. "A glut of oil available on world markets is also contributing to the lower prices we're seeing at the pump," he said. OPEC cut supply in October, reducing output by 1.5 million barrels per day, bringing total cuts to around 2 million barrels per day this year. However, the cut had no discernible effect on oil prices, which continued to fall. "Consumers and investors ignored it," said Skryja of AAA.

On Thursday, February 16, more than 200 employees from CSAA Insurance Group in Walnut Creek volunteered to sort and melt thousands of crayons for children in need. This is all part of CSAA Insurance Group’s work on behalf of ‘The Crayon Initiative’ which donates newly recycled crayons to children in local hospitals and art therapy programs.

Siale Paongo’s husband was laid off last year, leaving her the sole provider for the couple and their four children. Five days a week she commutes from Sacramento to San Mateo, and now that gas prices have soared 26 cents a gallon in one month, she is spending $500 a month just on gas. “I don’t remember the last time we have been to the movies or eaten out,” said Paongo, who is a home health aide, as she filled up at a gas station on east Hillsdale Boulevard in San Mateo on Tuesday. Effective ways to save gas: Drive 55. “The optimal speed for most cars to get the best fuel economy is driving 55 mph,” said Matt Skryja of AAA. “This is far and away the most effective way to save on gas.” Find the cheapest gas in your area. The price can vary as much as 30 or 40 cents per gallon within the same city. There are many mobile apps to help you find the cheapest gas wherever you are. For example, AAA . . . [has] free iPhone apps.

SALT LAKE CITY (UT) – Theo báo cáo của Hiệp Hội Ô-Tô Hoa Kỳ (AAA) thì mức giá xăng dầu trung bình của tiểu bang Utah đứng hạng cao thứ 11 của cả nước. Phát ngôn viên của công ty bảo hiểm AAA, ông Matt Skryja, cho biết là trong tháng vừa qua, một số tiểu bang ở phía Tây của dãy Rocky Mountain có giá xăng tăng cao, bởi vì những lo ngại về máy lọc xăng dầu và nguồn cung cấp đã tạo áp lực khiến chi phí xăng dầu lên cao. AAA còn cho biết thêm là trong khi các quốc gia Tây phương vừa mới thoát ra khỏi tình trạng giá xăng tăng liên tục, thì ngược lại ở Hoa Kỳ mức giá xăng dầu trung bình trên toàn quốc đã giảm xuống, ngoại trừ ngày 16 tháng 5, trong vòng 56 ngày qua, tức là đã có 55 ngày giá xăng dầu bán lẻ trong nước giảm xuống.

Gas prices across the country have increased for 26 straight days. According to AAA, the average climbed to $3.83, up 29 cents from a month ago. Analysts expect pump prices to keep climbing this summer. AAA is finding a lot more drivers are pushing it to the limit and actually running out of gas. Around Los Angeles, about 16,000 people a month are calling for help and the Northern California AAA is also seeing a 26 percent increase in the number of calls from stranded motorists who have run out of gas. "What you could perhaps draw from all of this is the fact that people are trying to stretch it, when it comes to the gas in their tank, a little bit further than they would normally," says Matt Skryja with Northern California AAA.

Gas at over $4 a gallon is here, and it may climb higher with each passing day. Prices shot up because of unrest in the Middle East and Northern Africa over concerns that oil supplies could be disrupted. According to AAA, in this past week alone, the country saw the largest increase in gas prices per gallon in a single week since 1990. If it seems like just about every day you're seeing the price at the pump go up and up, you're not seeing things -- it's a fact. AAA says the average price per gallon Thursday in California is $3.81. Yesterday it was $3.78 and just last week, $3.60. "Certainly we have been seeing three cents here, three cents there and overall if you were to look at the past week, we're talking about 18, 19 cents, depending on where you are in the Bay Area," said Matt Skryja with AAA Northern California. "So it is an above average increase."

SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula), the organization that runs Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, is searching for a new General Manager for the historic racetrack. John Stornetta, the track's GM for the last four years, left Laguna Seca at the end of the 2001 season without discussing his future plans, said track spokesman Matt Skryja. Gill Campbell, of Campbell Productions, has taken over as the venue's interim General Manager while SCRAMP, with the assistance of outside employment agencies, conducts a nationwide search for a new GM.

The national average stood at $3.36 a gallon for regular on Monday. Florida's average was $3.40 and Palm Beach County's was $3.49, the highest of any metro area in the state. But why? Is it the gasoline taxes? Is the cost of doing business higher here? If it's a global market, why was the average price a national-high $3.81 in San Francisco and a national-low $2.99 in Billings and Great Falls, Mont.? California's high gasoline prices are because of the reformulated and boutique gasoline required to help regions meet their local air quality and emissions standards, said Matt Skryja, spokesman for AAA Northern California in San Francisco. California gasoline taxes also are high - 66 cents a gallon in federal and state taxes. Competition and supply and demand also have an impact in specific markets, Skryja said.