2.29 Million Floridians to Hit the Road for Thanksgiving 2016: AAA

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents with big plans to hit the road for Thanksgiving won’t be alone. AAA Auto Club South estimates a total of 2,293,620 Floridians plan to drive to their turkey dinner destinations this year. The national estimate of those traveling by vehicle is a whopping 43.5 million people.

AAA’s overall projection for national travel during the peak Thanksgiving season (Nov. 23-27) is 48.7 million; a rise of 1.8 percent over last year. That number includes people who plan to fly; about 3.7 million. It also includes those planning to use “other” travel, such as trains, at 1.4 million. AAA projects a total of 2,531,080 Floridians, using all modes of transportation, will travel during the upcoming holiday. That’s an increase of 4.9 percent over last year, the auto club says.

“This is the most traveled holiday of the year, and as usual, there is an emphasis on road trips,” said Joseph J. Richardson Jr., President and CEO of AAA – The Auto Club Group said in a statement. “If you are one of the 43.5 million people on the road, we urge you to be patient in traffic and limit distractions while behind the wheel.”

The uptick in projected travelers is attributed to factors such as economic improvements in the second half of the year, rising wages and strengthened consumer confidence, AAA noted in a media release.

Driving remains the most popular way for people to get to their holiday destinations. And, for those who plan to do so, there’s good news on the projected gas price front. The national average for a gallon of gas in on track to be the second-cheapest at Thanksgiving time in almost a decade.

“Gas prices are now on a similar course as last year, due in large part to lower oil prices,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “On this day last year, Florida pump prices began a streak of declines that continued through the end of the month, with the state average falling from $2.20 to $2.07. Whether that happens again will depend on which direction oil prices go from here.”

Should last year’s dipping trend repeat itself, “regular unleaded will be the cheapest since 2008, when the national average was $1.85,” AAA wrote in a media release.

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