High Gas Prices Taking Toll On July 4 Travel
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Higher gas costs are taking a toll on travel for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Regine Schlesinger reports, 39 million Americans are expected to be on the move.
The AAA Chicago Motor Club predicts a 2.5 percent drop in the number of people traveling 50 miles or more from home this Independence Day weekend compared with last year.
Nearly 2 million Illinoisans are expected to drive somewhere – down 3.3 percent from 2010.
As for air travel, the Motor Club expects just over 105,000 Illinoisans to be flying. That is up a whopping 27 percent, even though airfares are averaging 11 percent higher this year.
The main reason more people are staying close to home, as will come as no surprise, is that gas prices are averaging about $1 more per gallon this summer than last.
