AAA: Fourth of July bring record number of travelers

During the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend, AAA projects almost 43 million Americans will travel, according to the “AAA Independence Day Travel Forecast”, an increase of 1.3% from the 42.3 million people who traveled past year.

Allstate’s online insurer, esurance, said at least 13 percent of the people you may encounter on the road are or have been drinking, a figure that’s likely to rise on weekends and holidays. The national average for regular unleaded stood at $2.29 on Wednesday, which is 3 cents less than the week before and 48 cents less than previous year. This year’s estimate – the highest since AAA started tracking in 2001 – is for 42.9 million travelers with 84 percent of them driving. The holiday travel weekend is Thursday, June 30, through Monday, July 4.

The average for a gallon of gas is cost $2.31. Prices began dropping below $2 a gallon in January and then went back up. The potential for a strike among oil workers in Norway and concern over a crisis in Venezuela’s energy sector also have analysts wondering if oil prices are gaining momentum.

With so many motorists on the road, the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) is urging drivers to be cautious.

Joe Wallace, 72, of Newport Township, who also plans to travel to Maryland after July 4, said the prices in the area are “still terrible”.

“I believe it too”.

That’s a record number and up 1.3 percent from the 42.3 million people who traveled for the holiday previous year, according to AAA.

This edges out New Year’s Day and amounts to 28 more deaths than the overall average daily toll from 2010 to 2014.

According to AAA and the Consumer Energy Alliance, lower gas prices have saved USA drivers about $20 billion on gas so far this year compared to the same period in 2015.

The main factor pushing more people to drive, AAA found, is low prices at the gas pumps.

“We also have been seeing lower energy costs over the winter months and personal income has been increasing”, Butler said.

The beer company partners with AAA to offer the service during most major holidays, including New Year’s.

“In addition to the price of crude oil, we have a tremendous supply”, she said. “The best times to leave will be in the morning, because the roads will be less crowded and you will have more time to get to your destination”.

AAA cites cheap fares for the increase in air travel, with the top 40 domestic flight routes down 9 percent.