A record 115.6 million Americans, including nearly 2.8 million Tennesseans, are projected to travel this holiday season, according to AAA.
The number of those traveling away from home from Saturday, Dec. 21, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, is up 3.9% from last year and the most in the nearly 20 years since AAA began tracking travel in 2000.
Paula Twidale, vice president of AAA Travel, said the increased travel reflects the growing economy and desire of people to gather with distant family members at Christmas or vacation elsewhere during the holidays.
"Holiday cheer is at an all-time high this year, with unemployment at historically low levels, and noted improvements in both disposable income and household net worth," she said. "Travelers should be getting used to crowded highways and airports, as this marks the eighth straight year of new record-high travel volumes for the year-end holidays."
Nearly 90% of those travelers will be driving to their destinations. INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects delays to be the worst on Thursday, Dec. 26, with afternoon delays reaching nearly double congestion-free drive times in major U.S. cities.
Motorists will be paying about 26 cents a gallon more for gasoline than a year ago, but fuel prices are still at their lowest levels in nine months, according to surveys.
"Gasoline prices have now slid to their lowest level since March thanks to rising U.S. gasoline inventories and sluggish demand, certainly bringing some Christmas cheer to motorists," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.
Nationwide, air travel is projected to rise 4.9% over last year during the year-end holidays, with 6.97 million Americans expected to fly — the most since 2003. That will include 74,000 Tennesseans who are expected to fly to their destination, an increase of 5%.
The Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport also expects increased flight activity during the holidays.
"Due to the steady growth the airport has seen all year as a result of very competitive airfares and the convenience of flying out of Chattanooga, we anticipate an increase in leisure travelers throughout the holiday season," airport spokesman Albert Waterhouse said. "We do ask that you check with your air carrier before getting to the airport on the day you choose to travel and arrive at least two hours early for your flight."
BUCKLE UP
A national safety group estimates 278 people could be killed on U.S. roads during the holidays, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The National Safety Council, an Illinois-based advocacy group, says 115 people may be killed and 13,100 seriously injured on roadways between 6 p.m. on Dec. 24, and 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 25.
The group also estimates that beginning at 5 p.m. Dec. 31, and ending at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 1, 163 people could be killed and 18,600 seriously injured.
AVOID ROAD RAGE
AAA offers these tips to help prevent road rage for those traveling this week:
— Do not offend: Never cause another driver to change their speed or direction. That means not forcing another driver to use their brakes, or turn the steering wheel in response to something you have done.
— Be tolerant and forgiving: The other driver may just be having a really bad day. Assume that it is not personal.
— Do not respond: Avoid eye contact, don't make gestures, maintain space around your vehicle and contact 9-1-1 if needed.
About 37% of roadway fatalities over Christmas and 39% over New Year's are alcohol-related, while the average over the course of a year is 29%, according to Ken Kolosh, the council's manager of statistics.
"Because there is a lot of alcohol consumed on all holidays, we do see an increase in the fatalities that involve at least one drunk driver," Kolosh told the Chicago Tribune.
He noted, however, that the percentage of alcohol-related deaths has decreased. For the 2014 New Year's holiday, for example, more than half of roadway fatalities involved a drunken driver, he said.
In predicting holiday road fatalities, the council looks at data from past years, individual state fatal crash estimates and the calendar. This year, both Christmas and New Year's Day fall in the middle of the week, which means fewer crashes, since the holiday is not prolonged by being on or adjacent to a weekend day, Kolosh explained.
Kolosh said 90% of drivers and passengers wear seat belts.
As of Dec. 20, 1,075 people have died on Tennessee roadways, according to the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security. There have been 46 deaths this month; there were 71 deaths in December 2018.
Georgia has seen 1,372 roadway deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The Chicago Tribune contributed to this story.
2019-12-21 19:59:55Z
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2019/dec/21/record-numbers-expected-travel-holidays-year/511182/
CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRpbWVzZnJlZXByZXNzLmNvbS9uZXdzL2xvY2FsL3N0b3J5LzIwMTkvZGVjLzIxL3JlY29yZC1udW1iZXJzLWV4cGVjdGVkLXRyYXZlbC1ob2xpZGF5cy15ZWFyLzUxMTE4Mi_SAQA
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Record numbers expected to travel for holidays this year - Chattanooga Times Free Press"
Post a Comment