PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — This Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel times of the year, and with an estimated 49 million Americans taking to the roadways, the American Automobile Association is urging the public to make safety the top priority.
Jana Tidwell, spokesperson with AAA Mid-Atlantic, said safety has to come first.
“Always wear your seat belt,” she said. “The single most important lifesaving thing you will do when you get in the car is to buckle up.”
The company’s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index survey says we live in a “do as I say, not as I do” world. When it comes to aggressive driving, those surveyed said driving 15 miles more per hour on a freeway is dangerous, yet 45% of respondents said that they have done it in the last 30 days.
When it comes to distracted driving, 95% said texting or sending emails on a cellphone is dangerous, yet 25% of drivers said that they have done it in the last 30 days.
And, 95% of drivers said driving impaired is dangerous. Yet 6% of drivers told AAA that they have driven drunk in the last 30 days.
This year, the number of holiday travelers is expected to approach pre-pandemic levels. Nationally, travel is just 2% shy of where we were before the pandemic.
AAA estimates 671,000 people in the Philadelphia five-county region be traveling a distance of at least 50 miles — up nearly 2% compared to a year ago.
Most people will be driving, even though gas prices are higher than in recent years. Tidwell said the biggest jump, however, is on the rails and the seas.
“That is largely in part due to cruise ships being back in the water this year, so people are cruising,” she said. “People are feeling more comfortable traveling by bus, traveling by train, with COVID restrictions lifted and vaccinations readily available.”
Whatever mode you take, experts suggest planning ahead and, if possible, traveling during off-peak hours. And especially if you’re driving, less time in the car means less money at the pump.
While this time of year is beloved and celebrated with family, Tidwell again emphasized more traffic leads to more crashes and, sadly, fatalities.
“Slow down and obey the posted speed limit,” she said. “Nothing is that important that you’re in such a hurry that you take the lives of yourself and everyone in your car, not to mention other drivers on the roadway that carelessly.”