More motorists are expected to hit the roads this July 4th holiday.
Triple AAA Mid-Atlantic says in Delaware 97-thousand are expected to be on the highways out of 112-thousand expected to be traveling this year.
That’s up .9 percent over last year.
Meanwhile, in Maryland 870-thousand residents are expected to be traveling with 754-thousand hitting the roadways.
That’s an increase of 2.3 percent over last year.
Triple AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Christine Delise says “Compared to national holiday travel we’re not seeing that kind of growth over last year. We’re seeing more significant growth in Maryland. And that may be an indication that Marylanders are feeling more confident and economically secure compared to other Americans.”
AAA expects around 42-million Americans to be on the road this holiday.
Gas Prices
Meanwhile, gas prices have also gone down by as much as a dollar over last year.
Delise says, “Maryland’s average is at $2.70 a gallon – two cents lower than last week – and we’re looking at prices that are 94 cents lower than last year at this time.”
She adds, “The lowest gas prices in Maryland can be found on the Eastern Shore. Salisbury’s average is $2.62 cents a gallon. It’s down 4 cents from a week ago. And it’s down a dollar compared to last year.”
But she notes that Maryland gas tax is going up in July from 2 percent to 3 percent under legislation approved by the Maryland General Assembly last year under former governor Martin O’Malley.
Marylanders will get a break on bridge tolls which went down this month from $6 to $4 as well from increased discounts for E-Z Pass.
Travel Precautions
The auto club urges motorists to check out their vehicles before getting on the road and be sure all passengers are buckled up.
In addition, Delise says drivers should take a break every two hours and stretch their legs.
Finally, for the children in the car, she adds, “Make sure they are occupied with books and games so they are not a distraction to the driver.”
