Alabamians hit the road for Labor Day

SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Millions of people are expected to travel this weekend for Labor Day. According to AAA, domestic travel is up 9% percent in 2024, while the cost of domestic travel is down 2%.

AAA states the average price for a gallon of gas in Shelby County is down around 70 cents compared to this time last year. People who are hitting the road for Labor Day said the difference is having an impact on their plans,

“I usually drive my big truck,” Heath Goodson said. “I did notice the other day it was only [$]60 instead of [$]85.”

Nicholas Tucker spoke as he was topping off his tank.

“Just going to spend some time down on the lake with some friends and just enjoy life, man,” Tucker said.

Tucker said with gas costing less than it has, he can travel more.

“It definitely does, and with the games going on, I’ll probably head to Auburn sometime this season,” Tucker said. “So that’ll be good.”

According to AAA, around the same time last year, a gallon of gas cost an average of $3.40 in Alabama. Now, the prices are around $2.70. For a car with a 15-gallon tank, last year it would cost over $50 dollars to fill up with gas. The cost now is just over $40.

“We do think about that quite often, me and my wife,” Josiah Goodson said. “We decide what gas station we are going to based upon price.”

Goodson said he was able to come visit his parents because of cheaper gas prices.

“We actually drove down here from Tennessee this afternoon, so it definitely helped us get down here a lot better,” Goodson said.

If you are planning on hitting the road for Labor Day, AAA notes the best time to travel is before noon.

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