The roads will be busier than ever this Independence Day weekend.
AAA projects 61.6 million Americans will hit the highways — that's 1.3 million more travelers than last year and the highest number on record.
“We're seeing record-breaking numbers again,” said Gianella Ghiglino, Automobile Club of Southern California Spokesperson. “Over 5 million people [in Southern California] are going to be traveling for the 4th of July weekend. We're actually seeing people start their travel almost a week in advance.”
Ghiglino says more people in Southern California are hitting the road during the Independence Day travel period.
According to AAA, the Independence Day travel period begins Saturday, June 28th, and ends Sunday, July 6th.
Ghiglino added that many travelers are expected to visit the Central Coast during that time frame.
“The Central Coast cities are always a very popular destination for people in Southern California,” Ghiglino said. “So we are going to be seeing a lot of people heading to Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz.”
According to AAA, the worst times to travel by car are during the afternoon and evening hours.
Ghiglino recommends that drivers plan ahead before their departure.
“The best time to travel is always going to be extremely early or later in the evening. So there are still a lot of people that are driving to work and to be heading to work, leaving in the early morning hours and also during the rush hour traffic in the afternoon.”
Some tourists KSBY News spoke with at Pismo Beach told us that traffic was steady upon their arrival.
“We got cut behind some big trucks, but for the most part, it was all right,” said Tehachapi resident Ethan Chandler.
“Traffic was pretty mild getting here,” said Larry Dickson, a visitor from Fresno.
“It wasn't too bad,” said Fresno resident Cynthia Gonzalez. “It wasn't too bad.”
AAA reports that the current average price for a gallon of gas has dropped in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
