The latest numbers from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority hint that maybe, just maybe, the threat of gas reaching $3 a gallon stopped people driving in from Southern California.

The authority’s senior researcher tells the Review Journal that the anxiety about the late summer disasters and the push to conserve gas may have led to the 2.1 percent decline in leisure travel from the West Coast. On the other hand, the convention industry continued to boost visitor numbers, for an overall increase through the first nine months of the year of 2.9 percent.

There could, however, be real angst in the continuing decline in room nights bought by leisure travelers. That number is down 550,000 for the year so far, despite new rooms being available on and off the Strip.

A glimmer of hope, though, may lie in the report from the Los Angeles Times that California gas prices have reached a three-month low. The federal Energy Information Administration reported that the average price of regular gasoline is now $2.58 in the Golden State. That is well below the $3 mark the LVCVA thinks may have dented September’s numbers.

We’re doing even better in Southern Nevada. I saw $2.35 this morning on the way to the office.