Heading out of town? Independence Day travel to break record
WASHINGTON - It's going to be a busy holiday weekend on the nation's highways.
AAA estimates a record 43 million Americans will be traveling this Independence Day weekend. That would top the record first set in 2007 and matched last year.
An overwhelming majority of those travelers, more than 84 percent, will be driving, putting some 36 million people on the roads.
Gas prices remain relatively low. AAA puts the nationwide average at $2.31 per gallon, some 47 cents less than a year ago. Those lower prices along with strong consumer confidence and a generally healthy U.S. economy have led more families to take trips this summer.
The travel group estimates that U.S. drivers have saved $20 billion on gasoline so far this year compared to the same period last year.