Hitting the roads? The best time to travel for Memorial Day weekend
Hitting the roads for Memorial Day weekend? AAA expects this to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000.
AAA projects 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend, a 7% increase over 2022. Record air travel is also expected, with 255,000 travelers expected to pass through Raleigh-Durham International Airport between Friday and Monday.
More people are traveling this weekend and most of them will be on the road. On Friday, the average price of gas in North Carolina was $3.30 per gallon, less than the record highs we saw last summer, when the national average was more than $4.
The best time to travel
Friday and Monday will be the peak travel days. If you are driving, AAA suggests leaving early Friday morning or after 6 p.m. More drivers are expected to be on the roads between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
On Monday, try to travel before 10 a.m. The worst time on the roads will be between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
While there will be a record high of people traveling, Gas Buddy is not expected to see a surge in gas prices.
Drivers are cutting back and will spend $1.6 billion less on gasoline compared to this time last year.
How to save gas
AAA recommends drivers turn off their cars if they will be stopped for more than 60 seconds and if it is safe to do so, which could include waiting at a stoplight, in a carpool line or at a drive-thru. Many newer cars have automatic engine stop-start systems that turn off after a minute.
For every 15 minutes of idling, you can burn a quarter gallon of gas, AAA said, but a warm engine only takes around 10 seconds worth of fuel to restart. If you're sitting in the carpool for 30 minutes, that's a half a gallon.
Instead of waiting at a drive-thru, park and go inside the restaurant to order, experts recommend.
Other gas conservation tips from the pros include carpooling, removing excess weight from your vehicle, ensuring its tires are properly maintained, following the speed limit and avoiding aggressive driving, like accelerating and stopping quickly.
