Over 977K Marylanders To Travel This Fourth Of July, AAA Projects
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders are expected to travel this Fourth of July weekend, AAA predicts, with most of those travelers opting to drive.
The association believes over 977,400 Marylanders will at least over the holiday weekend. The estimate is a two percent increase from 2021, even though the average gas price in Maryland is $1.84 higher than this time last year.
AAA said 90% or nearly 880,000 Marylanders will be hitting the road, while nearly 64,900 are expected to fly. It's a slight increase in drivers over last Independence day, but air travel numbers have a less than one percent increase.
"Nationally, automobile travel is expected to set a new record with 42 million Americans expected to hit the roads this Independence Holiday weekend," said Ragina Cooper Ali, a AAA spokesperson.
Maryland's average gas price has dropped from the all-time record high of $5.02, which was reached two weeks ago, and currently sits at $4.84.
The national gas price average was $4.98 yesterday, down nine cents from last week. The association predicts this holiday weekend will be the second busiest since 2000, with nearly 48 million Americans traveling more than 50 miles from home. The busiest year was 2019.
"Earlier this year, we started seeing the demand for travel increase and it hasn't slowed down," Ali said. People have made their plans and despite it costing more, they are finding ways to still take that much-needed vacation."
If you're leaving for the weekend, AAA says the worst times to travel are between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. The best time is any time after 7:00 p.m.
