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AAA: More Than 1.7 M To Travel Over Thanksgiving Holiday

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aaamich.com

More than 1.7 million Michiganders will be traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Those are the latest numbers from AAA Michigan. The forecast is the highest it’s been in more than a dozen years.  AAA advises motorists should be prepared for a lot of company on the roadways.

“It’s really the largest number we’re expecting for more than ten years.”

Gary Bubar, AAA Michigan’s Public Affairs Specialist says AAA is projecting more than 1.7 million residents will journey 50 or more miles from home this Thanksgiving holiday.

“We expect that most of the travelers will be doing so by car this year and this year that’s a good thing, because gas prices are down and they continue to fall and we anticipate they could be somewhere around last year’s numbers by the time Thanksgiving gets here and that makes for really, worry free travel as far as the cost of fuel goes for the holiday.”

Bubar says lower gas prices aren’t the only contributing factor to so many hitting the road.

“But also, the economy is doing very well. We have more people at work than we’ve had and that’s a good thing.  There’s more opportunity for folks to go and travel and visit, where they might not have had that opportunity in the past.”

Bubar adds be ready to take your time when you head out as motorists should expect congested roads for much of the week.

“Once you mix the commute with rush hour traffic with people trying to get out of town, that multiplies the problems out there, so be patient, you’ll get to your destination, actually, the best time to go would be Thursday morning and you’ll get there just in time for dinner.”

With increased traffic on the roads, AAA advises you leave early, pack your patience and minimize distractions while behind the wheel.

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.