Labor Day travel rush in full swing across Philadelphia region
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Let the road trips begin!
A busy travel weekend kicked off Friday as thousands of drivers head to the Jersey Shore for Labor Day weekend. Plenty of others were planning flights somewhere nice.
AAA says 2023's Labor Day weekend should be busier on the roads and in the skies compared to 2022.
Best and worst times to travel by car for Labor Day weekend
Thursday, Aug. 31, was the expected busiest time on the roads this weekend, but Friday, Sept. 1 is also expected to have higher than normal traffic, especially between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., according to AAA.
Your best bet to avoid a jam is to travel in off-peak hours, before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
On the Pennsylvania Turnpike, PennDOT expects 3 million travelers - including over 720,000 on Friday alone.
Drive safe! Lots of crashes happen over Labor Day weekend
PennDOT and state police say safety should be drivers' top priority.
In 2022, there were over 1,000 crashes on Labor Day weekend, with 17 fatalities. Over 100 of those crashes were alcohol-related.
Stay safe at the beach! High rip current risk due to Idalia, Franklin
Beach patrols are warning swimmers of rough surf and potential rip currents in our area this weekend due to Hurricane Franklin off the coast and Idalia - no longer a tropical storm, but still having effects.
On Thursday, swimmers were only allowed in the water up to their knees on the Atlantic City beaches.
The National Ocean Service says the best way to escape a rip current is to swim parallel to the shore instead of toward it - rather than tiring yourself out swimming against the current.