July Fourth Travel 2023: When To Get Out, Back To The NY Metro Area

NEW YORK — Record-breaking, that's how AAA describes the Independence Day holiday weekend(s) for 2023.

The travel experts at the auto club estimate 43.2 million people will drive to their destinations, an increase of 2.4 percent over 2022, with another 7.5 million people traveling by air.

Not only that, they predict Friday will be the busiest day on the roads during the Independence Day holiday weekend — pushing average travel times up nearly 30 percent over normal.

No wonder — a Tuesday Fourth of July makes it enticing to put together an extra-long weekend.

Also, gas prices are well below what they were one year ago. The national average for regular gasoline ranges from $3.50 - $3.60 a gallon, far lower than the fearsome price of $4.80 on July 4, 2022, AAA reported. The average in White Plains as of Monday was $3.752, compared to $5.069 a year ago.

"We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend," Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said in a news release. "What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer."

INRIX, which provides AAA with transportation data and insights, estimated best and worst times for the five days leading up to the Fourth:

• Thursday: Before noon will be the best travel time, with the worst between 4-6 p.m.
• Friday: Best travel time before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.; worst from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Saturday: Best travel time before noon. Worst: 1 p.m.
• Sunday and Monday: minimal impact on traffic expected

As a bonus, they predicted that on the holiday Tuesday the best travel times will be before 11 a.m. or after 6 p.m. and the worst will be noon - 3 p.m. Travel on July 5 will be best before 2 p.m. and worst from 3-6 p.m.

The absolute worst traffic congestion in the metro area will be on the Garden State Parkway heading to the Jersey Shore at 5 p.m. Friday, they said: 64 percent longer than usual.

Their protips:

1. leave in the morning or after 6 p.m. to avoid the heaviest holiday congestion
2. make use of traffic apps, local DOT notifications, and 511 services

"As the weekend approaches, we remind all drivers to stay awake, aware and sober, and to ensure every passenger is buckled up," said Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. "Watching fireworks with friends or taking a family vacation should be a blast and not a bust due to a preventable crash."

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its first projections for traffic fatalities in 2023, estimating that 9,330 people died in traffic crashes in the first three months of the year, which is on track to total close to 40,000 deaths this year, she said.

"We cannot and should not continue to tolerate this deadly toll on our roads. While we urge everyone to drive safely on this busy extended weekend, we also call on our Nation’s leaders to complete the vehicle safety rulemakings mandated in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Pub. L. 117-58) and other overdue statutorily mandated advances without further delay."