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Traffic
is seen
along
the
Strip on
Memorial
Day in
Las
Vegas,
Nevada,
U.S.,
May 31,
2021.
(REUTERS/Bridget
Bennett/File
Photo/File
Photo) |
|
Record
number
of
travelers
to hit
U.S.
roads
for July
4
weekend,
AAA says
reuters.com
(Reuters)
- A
record
42
million
people
around
the
United
States
are
expected
to hit
the road
for
trips
over the
July 4
Independence
Day
weekend,
AAA said
Tuesday,
absorbing
historically
high
fuel
costs to
crowd
the
highways.
The
average
U.S.
retail
price of
gasoline
recently
broke
through
$5 per
gallon
for the
first
time in
history.
While
that is
not a
record
from an
inflation-adjusted
basis,
it still
represents
an
increase
of
nearly
$2 per
gallon
from a
year
earlier.
Despite
the
higher
cost,
gasoline
demand
is only
1% below
the
average
for this
time of
year in
the
United
States.
The 42
million
figure,
should
it pan
out,
would
surpass
2019's
peak,
when
41.5
million
people
traveled
by
vehicle
on
Independence
Day,
according
to the
American
Automobile
Association.
Including
air
travel,
47.9
million
people
are
expected
to
travel
50 miles
or more
from
home
during
the
holiday
period,
just 2%
less
than
2019's
49
million,
but
surpassing
2021's
levels,
the
travel
membership
organization
said.
“The
volume
of
travelers
we
expect
to see
over
Independence
Day is a
definite
sign
that
summer
travel
is
kicking
into
high
gear,”
said
Paula
Twidale,
senior
vice
president
of AAA
Travel.
“Earlier
this
year, we
started
seeing
the
demand
for
travel
increase
and it’s
not
tapering
off."
Through
April,
cumulative
vehicle
miles
traveled
for 2022
totals
1.017
trillion
vehicle
miles, a
rate
that
trails
only
2019 and
2018 in
terms of
pace,
according
to the
U.S.
Department
of
Transportation.
Register
now for
FREE
unlimited
access
to
Reuters.com
Reporting
By David
Gaffen;
Editing
by David
Gregorio
Our
Standards:
The
Thomson
Reuters
Trust
Principles.
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