Traveling safely during the busy Thanksgiving holiday

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AAA's Aixa Diaz reports an estimated 80 million Americans will be traveling to visit friends and family during the Thanksgiving holiday. She shares tips on how you can navigate the busy holidays.

Transcript

00:00Here with more is Aixa Diaz, media relations manager for AAA. Thank you so much for joining

00:07us. Busy, busy time frame and in fact Thanksgiving travel is projected to be up even from last year.

00:16What is AAA projecting or looking for and what should drivers expect this holiday?

00:24Well Bernie, Melissa, Thanksgiving is always the busiest travel holiday out of the whole year. So

00:30people travel for Thanksgiving in big numbers but we're projecting the biggest number this year

00:35compared to any that we've seen before. Nearly 80 million Americans traveling over Thanksgiving

00:41from Tuesday through Monday. It used to be that Wednesday and Sunday were the two busiest days

00:46and they still are. But that Tuesday before Thanksgiving has also become pretty busy

00:51because a lot of kids are off from school on Wednesday so families take off on Tuesday now.

00:55Majority of people will be driving so that is the most popular way to travel over the holidays.

01:00And the good news for them is that gas prices are down considerably compared to last year

01:04and they've been coming down at a pretty steady rate. The national average is getting very close

01:09to $3 a gallon. We haven't seen the national average that low since 2021. But about half

01:14the country is already paying less than $3 a gallon so that's good news for them. But expect

01:18a lot of people on the roads. Obviously that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon are going to

01:22be the most crowded and then Sunday coming back but also Monday. That's a school day

01:26and a work day for people so that Monday after Thanksgiving will also be a little rough.

01:31Now of course weather always becomes a factor into the mix especially when we're talking about

01:36those peak travel days. We're getting snowfall out there. What should we do for those that are

01:40trying to take to the roads with these winter weather conditions? You have to pay attention

01:45to the forecast so don't be oblivious. Not only check the forecast of where you live so know what

01:51the weather's going to be like on your departure day but also look at your destination. Peek at

01:55that forecast and not just for the days that you're leaving but also for the day that you're

02:00planning to come back. We always advise at AAA if the weather is going to be bad and there's

02:05going to be a snowstorm or there's going to be some sort of thunderstorm, severe weather,

02:10stay home. Don't be on the roads. There's really the best advice in terms of driving in bad weather

02:14is don't do it. We always also suggest having an emergency kit in the vehicle. That includes

02:19snacks, extra bottles of water, extra tissues, also blankets because if you are in a cold weather

02:27area and there is some sort of backup on the interstate and you're stuck in your vehicle for

02:32hours or you have a flat tire and you're on the side of the road you're going to want that blanket.

02:37You know last Thanksgiving AAA responded to more than half a million emergency roadside calls

02:43and that was only for the Thanksgiving period and a lot of that has to do with dead batteries,

02:48flat tires, even people locking themselves out or running out of gas. So please fill up the night

02:54before and make sure that you know where the rest stops are along the way and the gas stations so

02:58you don't run out of gas. And really quickly any other safety tips for travelers? You know drowsy

03:05driving is a big problem and especially over the holidays when people let's say they want to get

03:11to their destination so they're going to drive all night to get there. If you're going to be driving

03:15during a time of day that you're not used to being awake, you're going to get sleepy behind

03:19the wheel. Also we're indulging in a lot of rich foods and having a heavy meal and then getting

03:24behind the vehicle you're going to get drowsy. So be mindful of those things. Also watch your speed

03:30because speeding is not going to get you there any faster. It's only going to make the roads more

03:33dangerous and slow down, move over. This is a big one that has to do with emergency vehicles,

03:38helping people on the side of the road, maybe a tow truck or a police officer, an ambulance.

03:43Reduce your speed when you see that and then ideally change lanes,

03:47get over so you're giving those people room to do their jobs and be safe.

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