Tens of millions of Americans are hitting the highway to celebrate the nation's 250th.
AAA's travel forecast predicts 72.2 million people will travel for Independence day, and 61.4 million will go by car.
"Yeah, it's a new record number," said AAA's Don Redman, "and that just means we're going to see busy roadways, for sure."
Redman said with Independence Day itself falling on a Saturday, making for a long weekend for most, people want to make the most of it.
"The 4th of July falling on a Saturday certainly helps propel people to hit the roads, but I think it's just a continuation of something we say on Memorial Day," he said.
And while gas prices are up compared to last year's 4th of July, they have been steadily coming down since Memorial Day.
