BALTIMORE — This Memorial Day weekend, AAA projects more than 814,000 Maryland residents will be traveling in some form.
About 730,000 of those residents plan to drive, despite the average price of gas in Maryland being $4.61 a gallon. That's up 56 cents from last month and $1.56 more than a year ago.
During the holiday weekend, AAA Emergency Roadside crews expect to receive more than 7,000 calls for Maryland motorists stranded by dead batteries, tire trouble, lockouts,and empty gas tanks.
Meanwhile, air travel is expected to be up around 21 percent from this time last year, with AAA projecting nearly 65,000 Marylanders taking to the skies over the holiday.
Another 19,000 in Maryland plan to take a cruise, train, or bus to their vacation destination. Those industries are seeing a whopping 180 percent increase in business over the last year.
If the numbers projected by AAA stick true, that would mark a 6.7 percent increase from last year, although that's still 11 percent less than pre-pandemic levels.
"Our roadways will be as crowded as they have been over the holiday since pre-pandemic, but airports, train stations and bus depots will also be extremely busy, so travelers should plan accordingly,” said Ragina Cooper Ali, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
So, when is the best time to hit the road and avoid traffic? Triple A recommends before 10am or after 9pm. Anytime between noon and 7pm, you can expect high volumes of traffic.
