AAA Releases July 4 Holiday Travel Predictions

Triple A of Georgia has released its travel predictions for the July 4th holiday weekend.

AAA’s Independence Day travel forecast measures domestic trips of 50 miles or more during 9 days from Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, July 7.

That’s because this year the 4th of July falls on a Thursday, which means many people will be hitting the road beginning Saturday, June 29 for vacation.

And for those just taking the holiday off many will also take Friday off making for an extra long holiday weekend.

According to AAA spokeswoman Montrae Waters,  AAA projects Independence Day travelers will set new records both nationwide and in Georgia.

More than 70.9 million people around the U.S. are expected to travel 50 miles or more away from home. That’s 3.5 million more travelers than last year, setting a new record high.

Of that, AAA projects a record 60.6 million people nationwide will travel by car over Independence Day week – that’s an additional 2.8 million travelers compared to last year.

Meanwhile, road travel in Georgia will set a record for the third consecutive year with more than 2 million Georgians expected to take a road trip. That’s over 104,000 more than last year.

Waiters said that with so many people on the road, it’s important to be patient, minimize distractions while driving, and move over for people on the roadside.

So, despite concerns about inflation, total travel is increasing due to growth in consumer confidence, wages, and continued strength in consumer spending even though gas prices are slightly higher than last year.

This July 4th holiday, consumers are expected to increase spending by 5.5% compared to a year ago.

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says the worst times to travel by car before and on July 4th are between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Drivers should hit the road in the morning, and travelers returning on Monday, July 8th should avoid rush hour traffic in the morning and afternoon.