Christmas travel expected to reach pre-pandemic levels
As we roll into the holiday weekend, travel is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels, but busy roads might not be the only thing Americans will need to worry about, with ice storms expected to hit the northeast.
According to AAA, 112.7 million people will journey 50 miles or more away from home from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2, which is an increase of 3.6 million people over last year.
“We expect 2022 to be the third busiest year for holiday travel since we started tracking in 2000,” AAA spokesperson Jim Garrity said. “Just shy of pre-pandemic numbers and an increase from last year.”
About 102 million of those 112 million Americans will choose to drive to their holiday destinations this weekend, which is an additional 2 million drivers compared to 2021, according to AAA.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission forecasts 5.4 million drivers will be traveling the Turnpike between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2
“Higher levels of traffic, ever-increasing incidence of distracted driving and changing weather conditions are a very harmful mixture that can create holiday havoc,” said Pennsylvania Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “We want all travelers to arrive safely at their holiday destinations, and with planning and focus, that can certainly happen.”
Drivers will be able to check roadway conditions and set up travel alerts for specific roadways, days of the week and times of day by visiting www.511PA.com.
Friday, Dec. 23, and Friday, Dec. 30, are projected to be the busiest days on the Turnpike through Jan. 2, according to the PTC, with 600,000 motorists projected each of those days.
“When you are looking at when you will be traveling, keep safety in mind,” Garrity said. “If you have a flexible schedule and you know there is going to be inclement weather, maybe it’s not a bad idea to change up when you leave.”
Extremely cold arctic air is expected to plunge southward and affect much of the country into the holiday weekend, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters.
“Also, driving slower gives you more capabilities in keeping control of your vehicles, and leaving early gives you plenty of time so you can drive slowly,” Garrity said. “While you might be a safe driver, it’s not always you causing the problems, it can be other drivers you want to be careful of.”
Since Dec. 19, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has fallen by four cents to $3.10, according to data from the Energy Information Administration.
Garrity said the current price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Pennsylvania sits at $3.63 as of Dec. 22, with the average price in Butler County at $3.74.
“You can see an increase because of demand, which can happen around the holidays, but drivers can rest assured it’s not going to be anything close to prices we saw in the summertime,” Garrity said. “That’s unless there were to be upward movement with crude oil prices.”
