Next to Thanksgiving, Memorial Day is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. According to AAA auto club close to 42 million Americans plan to take travel over Memorial Day weekend. This is a five (5) percent increase from last year.
In Illinois 2.04 million people plan to travel, which is an increase of four percent from 2017. Unfortunately, we will also see some of the highest gas prices in several years. It is estimated that the Illinois average for a gallon of gas is $2.95 is up from $2.70 last month, and $2.39 last year.
Based on past numbers, AAA expects to help approximately 340,000 motorists over the weekend.
This Friday, May 25, between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm is supposed to be the busiest travel period over the weekend.
A few tips to ensure you have a safe road trip:
- Check your battery before heading out on an extended road trip.
- Check alternate routes and times for leaving so as to avoid the heaviest traffic
- Buckle up. Not only for safety purposes, but also, state troopers will be out in full force ticketing speeders and those no wearing their seat belts.
- Put the phone aside. For everyone’s safety, put your phone aside and stick with the hands free technology. This is always the safest way, but especially true when there are so many people out on the road.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, please call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.