Drivers head out early to beat traffic ahead of Thanksgiving holiday
AAA estimates that almost 90% of Thanksgiving travelers will travel by car.
Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel. To get to their holiday destination on time, many drivers have already hit the road in hopes of beating traffic.
This year, 3.6 million New England travelers are projected to travel during the Thanksgiving period. Out of that number, 3.17 million will travel by car.
"Drive safely, drive carefully, and have a happy Thanksgiving," said KC, a driver on her way to work.
Her job requires an early start, but sometimes KC has to travel out of state for work. She decided giving herself a few extra minutes on her commute wouldn't hurt.
"That's why I'm out here so early this morning. I believe that a lot of travelers came out early yesterday and hit the road because they know it's going to be havoc today," KC said.
According to AAA, the worst travel times for Wednesday are between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Minimal traffic impact is expected on Thanksgiving Day.
Danielle Mosteller, a driver from Providence, is on her way to Pennsylvania for the holiday. She said the drive is approximately six hours, but she has a method to stay energized. "Listening to a book on tape, some podcasts, some music, change it up a little bit. I've got my dog with me, so trying to keep him calm, make some stops," said Mosteller.
AAA estimates that almost 90% of Thanksgiving travelers will travel by car. That's about 73 million people, and the number could increase if some air travelers decide to drive instead of fly following recent flight cancellations.
While drivers like KC and Mosteller use interstates and highways to commute, Fairfield policestressed the importance of safe driving on local roads.
"We ask that everybody contributes to that safe roadway by not driving aggressively, by not driving impaired, and putting your phone down and not driving distracted," said Fairfield Chief of Police Michael Paris.
If you're planning to drive, AAA recommends checking your car before you hit the road. Last year, AAA responded to nearly 600,000 emergency roadside assistance calls to help stranded drivers with issues like dead batteries, flat tires and empty fuel tanks.
