Many people are reportedly thinking about going on a road trip from May 25th through the 27th of this year. In fact, according to insurance company AAA, up to 43.8 million Americans are expected to pack their things and hit the road. That would be a 4% increase from last year’s number. It’s also dangerously close to the record of drivers for a Memorial Day weekend, which is 44 million. That took place way back in 2005. If you want to avoid rush hour traffic on what could be the most congested days of the year, here are a few tips.
The first thing that you’re going to want to do, if you can, is leave on Thursday. If you can skip work on Thursday, you’re going to want to get on the highway maybe between 9 and 11 in the morning. If you head out a bit too early, you could be stuck in the daily traffic jams that form in some areas when people are trying to get to work. Your departure time could very well depend on where you live and how heavy traffic gets in the morning. If you can’t bail on work on that Thursday, you can still hit the road by around 7 pm. Again, you want to make sure that you head out once the working crowd is already back home. This hour can be ideal for people who are going on shorter trips in parts of the country where you’ll still see the sun shining at 7 pm.
Leaving on Thursday outside these time frames could be counterproductive. According to estimates, traffic is expected to pick up significantly from noon all the way to 6pm. Starting on that Thursday before the weekend. Those traffic jams can be blamed on the late risers who were able to get off work on Friday! Speaking of Friday, the peak traffic hours on this day will basically mimic what’s expected for Thursday. If you can’t get off work, you may be better off waiting until the evening to head out to your destination.
Some of the cities that are expected to see the biggest upticks in traffic are already places known for their impressive traffic jams. Certain routes around the NYC and LA areas are expected to have 84% more cars on the road for this weekend! That midday Thursday time frame that was mentioned earlier is expected to be the worst time of the weekend to travel. Elsewhere on the East Coast, traveling to Baltimore could ironically be one of the worst routes when it comes to traffic. Taking a trip from Philadelphia or DC out to Baltimore is expected to take north of two hours and thirty minutes. The route is one that you can typically make in an hour and forty-five minutes.
Trips around Atlanta, Denver, and San Francisco may also include time spent stuck in traffic for drivers. Anyone who is planning to take a road trip this Memorial Day weekend would do well to plan their departure times accordingly. More importantly, they should stick to those departure times religiously if they want to avoid spending more time on the road than they need to.
