ATLANTA — Motorists, be patient this Fourth of July. The roads are likely to be crowded.
AAA is predicting nearly 42 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles this Independence Day.
That is good news for a still-recovering economy. It represents the highest volume of projected travelers since 2007 and a 0.7 percent increase over a year ago.
Of the 41.9 million Americans likely to travel, a large majority — 35.5 million — will be driving. Meanwhile, 3.2 million will be flying, while another 3.2 million will be using another mode, such as train, to travel this year.
“Independence Day is typically the busiest summer travel holiday, because families can take extended vacations without worrying about rushing their kids back for school,” Brent Stahlheber, AAA senior vice president-brand marketing and travel, said in a news release. “This Independence Day will see the most travelers since the great recession, which will continue to stimulate the economy and the travel industry as a whole.”
A number of surveys have predicted that summer travel would be high this year. The 41.9 expected to travel is higher than the 37 million Americans who traveled for Memorial Day and looks to be higher than the more than 34 million projected to travel last Labor Day.
In addition, motorists may be in for some good news this year at the pumps. This years looks to have the lowest Independence Day gas prices in at least five years, and the national average price for a gallon of gasoline of $2.78 is 88 cents less than a year ago.
“Although some consumers are using their recent savings on gas to pay down debt and save, overall, Americans are planning to travel in record numbers,” Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA, said in a news release. “Independence Day gas prices are expected to be the lowest in at least five years, a welcome sign for the 35.5 million people planning a holiday road trip.”