Traffic on Memorial Day 2024: what are the best and worst times to travel by car?
If you are planning on hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend, you won’t be alone. At least not according to AAA’s near record forecast.
The three-day Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff for the summer in the United States, is taken as an opportunity for Americans to get away for a few days. Many head to the beach while others prefer to visit a major city. For the latter, the top three urban destinations this year are Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles.
Whether you are traveling by car or catching a plane, one thing is for sure, you can expect company, and lots of it. According to AAA, this year will see a near record 43.8 million Americans skipping town for another destination. The majority of those Memorial Day weekend travelers, 38.4 million, will be jumping in their cars.
Traffic on Memorial Day 2024: what are the best and worst times to travel by car?
Not since 2005 have so many Americans been projected to travel for this holiday weekend. “We haven’t seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years. We’re projecting an additional one million travelers this holiday weekend compared to 2019,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel.
“Which not only means we’re exceeding pre-pandemic levels but also signals a very busy summer travel season ahead.”
People that are driving to their chosen destination should plan on hitting the roads early if leaving on Thursday or Friday “to avoid mixing with commuters” advises AAA citing transportation data and insights provider INRIX. For the trip back home on Sunday or Monday, Travelers should expect the peak congestion on the road in the afternoon hours.
“Travel times are expected to be up to 90% longer than normal,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Travelers should stay up to date on traffic apps, 511 services, and local news stations to avoid sitting in traffic longer than necessary.”
The federation of North American motor clubs provides a detailed list of best and worst times for when to travel by car. As well an estimate of increased travel times in select metro areas and when to expect peak congestion.