AAA Mid-Atlantic predicts that this Memorial Day weekend will see the most drivers on the road since before the pandemic, with 1.2 million people traveling in Virginia alone. Friday’s evening commute is expected to be the busiest time, and AAA advises drivers to wait until after rush hour or Saturday morning to leave if possible. Gas prices are lower than last year, but have increased slightly in the past few days due to increased demand. Law enforcement is expected to increase traffic enforcement efforts, so travelers are advised to drive safely.
As seen on AAA Mid-Atlantic, more drivers are expected to hit the roads this Memorial Day weekend than any other since before the pandemic. Morgan Dean of AAA Mid-Atlantic told CBS 6 News that nationally, 42 million people are expected to travel for the holiday weekend. In Virginia alone, 1.2 million people are expected to travel, with 1 million of those hitting the roads to drive. This makes it the busiest weekend for travel that many have seen in several years.
Experts predict that Friday’s evening commute will be the height of travel hours, so AAA suggests that drivers going to vacation destinations take their time leaving home until after rush hour in the evening or wait until Saturday morning if possible. However, Saturday and Sunday are expected to be good driving days.
Gas prices are lower for this Memorial Day weekend than they were last year, even though they are currently higher than earlier this week. Morgan Dean explains that gas prices have increased slightly over the past few days due to the nature of when people start to hit the road to travel for warm weather holidays. This typically pushes prices up. Despite the uptick in demand, the price of crude oil is low at $70 per barrel. AAA Mid-Atlantic reports that the Richmond Metro is averaging $1.12 less per gallon of gas than this day one year ago.
As the number of drivers on the road increases, law enforcement is expected to ramp up traffic enforcement efforts. Weekend travelers are advised to drive safely over the next few days.
On the whole, this Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be the busiest for travel in several years. While gas prices are higher than earlier this week, they are lower than last year. Drivers are advised to plan their travel accordingly and drive safely on the roads. For more in-depth coverage of this important local story, depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com. If you have any information to share, email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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