Travel experts are expecting a record numbers of travelers to hit the road by the end of the 4th of July holiday week, according to AAA Club Alliance
Overall, 849,000 Connecticut residents were expected to travel 50 miles or more and 3.5 million people were projected to travel across New England through July 6. Both numbers are up by 2.3% from last year, according to AAA.
According to AAA, travel in the country has increased by 1.7 million travelers compared to last year and 7 million more than 2019.
Of the Connecticut residents traveling, 87% (739,000) are driving to their destination. There are 66,000 flying to their destinations and 45,000 using other modes of transportation.
“Summertime is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, and July 4th is one of the most popular times to get away,” said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Club Alliance. “AAA is seeing strong demand for road trips and air travel over Independence Day week. With the holiday falling on a Friday, travelers have the option of making it a long weekend or taking the entire week to make memories with family and friends.”
Noble said the reason for rising numbers is that “people want to have experiences and make memories, and we’re finding that over the course of the last couple of years, people are turning to travel more so than material items.”
“We’ve got busy traveling in spades,” Noble said. “The roads are going to be crowded. People are going to be flying, and we’re actually seeing the biggest increase in those other modes of transportation. So, people using trains, cruises or buses to get to their destination.”
Nationally, 61.6 million people are expected to travel by car over Independence Day week, up 2.2%, compared to last year, according to AAA. AAA projects a record high 279,000 taking to the air for the holiday, up 1% from last year.
Noble says travelers should prepare for crowded roads. In 2024, AAA responded to nearly 700,000 emergency roadside assistance calls over the Independence Day week. Many of the calls were for dead batteries, flat tires, running out of gas or drivers being locked out of their cars.
“If you see either disabled motorists or emergency workers on the side of the road, please slow down and move over for them so that they can get home safe as well,” Noble said. ‘Drive sober, not impaired by alcohol or drugs, whether it be legal, prescription or other substances. And plan ahead. So if you know you need to get somewhere at a specific time, whether you’re driving to the airport or not, give yourself extra time. and even look to a non-traditional route. It may be longer in mileage, but if it keeps you moving, it might be a better drive experience.”
According to AAA, summer gas prices are the lowest they’ve been since 2021. Gas prices are 30 to 40 cents lower per gallon than this time last year.
Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesman Josh Morgan said he also expects increased traffic this week with the holiday falling on a Friday. He said the DOT has paused non-emergency roadwork to alleviate some of the bottleneck and congestion that road projects can cause.
“This is a beautiful time of year, so whether people are going to barbecues, parties, fireworks, just traveling to the beach and enjoying the rest of the relaxation, we just want to make sure they have a plan to get home safely,” Morgan said.
“People feel the need to speed or text and drive or have a bunch of cocktails and then get behind the wheel,” he added. “People know better. We’re a smart state. We got smart people here, but they’re doing a lot of dumb things, and it’s costing people their lives. So, we’re hoping that the word can get out there and people will stay safe for this holiday weekend.”
There have been 110 fatalities on state roads this year through July 1, which is down about 28% according to Morgan. At this point of the year in 2024, there were 150 fatalities, in 2023 there were 136 and 160 in 2022. Morgan said this was a “big change” in statistics but warns that it could be just “luck.”
“Are people changing their behavior? Is Connecticut being safer and more responsible? I want to say yes, but part of me says that people are also getting lucky out there,” Morgan said. “So, let’s not be lucky. Let’s not roll the dice. Let’s not play a game of chance. Let’s do everything we can to keep each other safe this weekend.”