Motivated by cheap fuel, the AAA is predicting that over 38 million people will take to the roads this extended Memorial Day holiday period, which runs from today through Monday. The organization anticipates that figure will reflect about 700,000 more folks on U.S. highways and byways compared to 2015 and will be the second-highest Memorial Day motoring total on record and the most since 2005.
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“Americans are eagerly awaiting the start of summer and are ready to travel in numbers not seen in more than a decade,” said Marshall Doney, AAA President and CEO. “The great American road trip is officially back thanks to low gas prices, and millions of people from coast to coast are ready to kick off summer with a Memorial Day getaway.”
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AAA indicates that gasoline is currently averaging $2.26 a gallon, $0.45 less that it did last year at this time and the lowest in 11 years. It estimates U.S. drivers have already saved over $15 billion in fuel costs compared to the same time window in 2015. In addition to spurring more vehicular travel during the Memorial Day period, AAA noted the prospects of cheap gas also led 55 percent of Americans it queried to admit they’re more likely to take a road trip at some time later in the year.
