Record-breaking travel expected for the Fourth
Americans will hit the road this Independence Day weekend in record numbers, the AAA predicts. The association expects 43 million U.S. residents will take a short break between Thursday and Monday, representing the highest volume of July 4 travelers on record. Of those, 84 percent or 36 million people are expected to drive, and 3.3 million will fly to their destination, the group said.
Americans will hit the road this Independence Day weekend in record numbers, the AAA predicts.
The association expects 43 million U.S. residents will take a short break between Thursday and Monday, representing the highest volume of July 4 travelers on record. Of those, 84 percent or 36 million people are expected to drive, and 3.3 million will fly to their destination, the group said.
Continued low gas prices has made travel more affordable. The national average for a gallon of gas is $2.30, with about $2.44 in Philadelphia and below $2 in New Jersey, according to AAA.
Motorists would be wise to check their battery and tires and bring along an extra set of car keys to avoid joining the 370,000 drivers who will call for roadside assistance over weekend.
Once settled in for the festivities, Americans will watch as some of $311.7 million fireworks imported from China in 2015 explode in the skies overhead.
They will also chow down on 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch across the county more than five times, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage council.
The group lists Philadelphia fourth behind Los Angeles, New York and Phoenix as the Top Hot Dog Consuming Cities in 2015.
No summer weekend is complete without ice cream, especially in July, which was designated as National Ice Cream Month in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan.
The average American consumes about 22 pounds of the creamy goodness per year, according to The International Dairy Foods Association.
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@MariSchaefer