AAA Expects More Than 38 Million Memorial Day Travelers
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WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - The lowest gas prices in more than a decade could make this Memorial Day one of the busiest ever on the roads.
AAA projects some 38 million people will travel 50 miles or more over the holiday weekend and some 3.1 million of those will be Texans. That's about 700,000 more than last year and the most since 2005. And the auto club says the overwhelming majority of those travelers -- 89 percent -- plan to go by car.
AAA Texas Vice President of Branch Operations Rhonda Wilson said, "The great American road trip is officially back thanks to low gas prices, and millions of people across the Lone Star State are ready to kick off summer with a Memorial Day getaway."
While the average price for a gallon of gas in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is $2.14, up some 14-cents from a week ago, the amount is still lower than this time last year.
The average price for a gallon of regular is a $2.30 nationwide, about 34 cents less than a year ago, and AAA estimates that Americans have saved more than $15 billion on gas so far this year.
AAA also cites rising personal income and a strong labor market as factors encouraging Americans to head to the beaches, mountains and other destinations this Memorial Day weekend.
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