COLUMBUS – Despite historically high gas prices, a record number of people are planning a road trip over the Independence Day holiday period.
More than 47.9 million Americans, including 2.2 million Ohioans, will travel during the holiday weekend period from June 30 through July 4, according to estimates from the auto club AAA.
This represents an increase of 3.7% nationally, and 3.8% in Ohio.
While national travel numbers are expected to fall just shy of 2019, AAA expects Ohio travel will build on the record travel numbers set in 2021 as the summer travel season kicks into high gear, AAA Ohio senior public affairs manager Kimberly Schwind said.
“Earlier this year, we started to see the demand for travel increase and it’s not tapering off, despite higher prices. People are ready for a break,” she said.
Gas prices nationwide are averaging just under $5 a gallon, according to the auto club. The statewide average in Ohio Tuesday was $4.97, nearly $2 more than a year ago.
President Joe Biden says he’s considering pressing for a holiday on the federal gasoline tax, which could possibly save U.S. consumers as much as 18.4 cents a gallon.
Biden told reporters Monday that his decision could come by the end of the week.
The administration is increasingly looking for ways to spare the public from higher prices at the pump, which began to climb last year and surged after Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel help pay for highways.
Higher traffic volume on the roadways is partly the result of fewer Ohioans planning to fly to their destinations in the face of soaring ticket prices and a large number of flight delays and cancellations.
Drivers should expect the longest travel delays on the afternoons of Thursday, June 30, and Friday, July 1 as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers, Schwind said.
The worst times to leave will probably be between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Thursday and between noon and 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, according to the traffic website INRIX.
The best times to depart will be before 7:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. Thursday, before 10:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. Friday or before noon and after 7:00 p.m. Saturday.
Despite relatively flat air travel numbers compared to last year, airports will be busy this holiday travel period so the AAA recommends air travelers arrive at airports early and prepare for long lines at security checkpoints.