Us gasoline prices fell for the first time in eight weeks, the Energy Department said yesterday, in what could be a turning point for American consumers.

Regular unleaded gas declined half a penny over the last week to a national price of $3.96 a gallon, which is still up $1.10 from a year ago.

The price for diesel fuel also fell 4.3 cents to $4.06 a gallon, diesel’s first price decline in three weeks.

The drop in gasoline prices follows the sharp retreat in crude prices.

US oil has fallen about $16 a barrel since the beginning of this month.