Travelers expected to pack roads over the holiday

More than 2 million North Carolinians are expected to hit the road for the July 4 holiday, and authorities are urging them to think safety first.

AAA projects Independence Day travelers will set new records nationally and in North Carolina during a nine-day holiday stretch that starts today and continues through July 7.

More than 70.9 million people around the U.S. are expected to travel 50 miles or more away from home, and 2.2 million of those will be North Carolinians, the organization said.

“The summer travel season is off to a hot start, and we expect to set new travel records on the road and in the sky during the week of Independence Day,” said Debbie Haas, AAA’s vice president of travel. “There will be 3.5 million more travelers than last year. That means even more people at airports and popular attractions like beaches, lakes and theme parks.”

Travel is increasing with growth in consumer confidence, wages and continued strength in consumer spending, the organization said. It noted the following trends:

Consumers are expected to increase spending by 5.5 percdent compared to a year ago.Real GDP growth will remain modest, rising by 2.5 percent from last year.After falling steadily since January, consumer confidence moved up in May.Prices fro a gallon of regular gas currently average $3.50 nationally, down from $3.56 a year ago; the average in North Carolina is $3.30, up from $3.27 a year ago.

AAA projects a record 60.6 million people will travel by car over Independence Day week, an additional 2.8 million travelers compared to last year. This year’s number also surpasses 2019 when 55.3 million people traveled by car during the week of the July 4 holiday.

Road travel in North Carolina will set a record for the second consecutive year, AAA said. More than 1.9 million North Carolinians are expected to take a road trip, 100,399 more than last year.

“Road travelers should prepare for congestion in the afternoon and evening hours, particularly near larger metro areas, theme parks and popular attractions,” said AAA spokeswoman Tiffany Wright. “With so many people on the road, it’s important to be patient, minimize distractions while driving and move over for people on the roadside.”

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, reports the worst times to travel by car before and on July 4th are between 2-7 p.m. Drivers should hit the road in the morning, and travelers returning July 8 should avoid rush hour traffic in the morning and afternoon.

“Drivers in large metro areas can expect the worst traffic delays on Wednesday, July 3, as they leave town, and Sunday, July 7, as they return,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Road trips over the holiday week could take up to 67 percent longer than normal. Travelers should monitor 511 services, local news stations, and traffic apps for up-to-the-minute road conditions.”

North Carolina authorities urge travelers to plan ahead, take their time, be patient and be safe, and law enforcement will be on the highway to assist folks in trouble and crack down on lawbreakers.

The annual Booze It & Lose It campaign, ongoing through July 7, uses public outreach and stepped-up law enforcement to discourage drunken driving. Statewide, law enforcement will be patrolling and doing more checkpoints to promote safety and remove impaired drivers from the roads.

“Celebrating this time of year often involves alcohol, which can lead to additional impaired driving crashes,” said Mark Ezzell, director of North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program. “Last year, 388 people died in crashes involving drivers who were under the influence of alcohol. That’s unacceptable. Our law enforcement partners from Murphy to Manteo will be working this campaign to catch impaired drivers.”

A total of 162 alcohol-related crashes and four fatalities occurred on North Carolina roads during the Fourth of July weekend in 2023, according to crash data from the N.C. Department of Transportation. Booze It & Lose It serves as a reminder that there are severe consequences for reckless behavior, Ezzell said.

In efforts to ensure a safer July 4 holiday experience on the water, officers with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will participate in Operation Dry Water, a national campaign running July 4-6.

The focus of the campaign is to heighten enforcement and awareness about the dangers of boating while impaired. Wildlife officers will be increasing water patrols, providing boaters with information on the dangers of impaired boating and enforcing state laws.

“This is one of the busiest weekends for boaters every year. The presence of law enforcement officers in North Carolina is a key factor in preventing incidents from occurring or escalating,” said Lt. Forrest Orr of the Wildlife office’s Law Enforcement Division. “The Operation Dry Water campaign is an effective resource in providing safer boating opportunities, keeping boating safety at the forefront of holiday activities.”

It is unlawful to operate a recreational vessel with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher, or while being appreciably impaired by alcohol, drugs or other impairing substances. During last year’s campaign, the state’s wildlife law enforcement officers deployed 159 officers and removed 40 people from the water who were boating while impaired.

Officials also stress the importance of other boating safety practices while on the water. So far this year, 37 boating incidents have occurred in North Carolina; seven were fatal.