Thanksgiving Traffic: Highways Stuffed With Turkey Day Travelers

CARS.COM — This Thanksgiving, Americans are on a roll — and not the kind in the breadbasket. In a joint study, AAA and IHS Markit predict 50.9 million U.S. travelers will hit the road, rail, sea or sky during November’s marquee holiday weekend. That’s up 3.3 percent over 2016 for the highest travel volume since 2005, the vast majority by car.

Related: Autumn-mobile: Road-Trip Season Extends to Fall

The agencies cite strong economy and labor markets, which have generated rising incomes and bullish consumers. Indeed, economic fundamentals remain strong: Consumer confidence hit a nearly 17-year high in October, according to The Conference Board’s benchmark survey, and unemployment remains low. Couple that with solid wage growth and a booming stock market, and why wouldn’t you want to drive four hours to hear your in-laws talk politics over dry poultry?

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

AAA and IHS Markit project most travelers will do just that, in one form or another. (The driving, that is, not the political debates.) Despite gas prices being up more than 15 percent versus a year ago, the agencies predict cars will account for 89 percent of holiday travel from Nov. 22-26, with 45.5 million Americans hitting the road.

That’s up 3.2 percent from last year. About 1.5 million will travel by train, bus or boat. And thanks to an estimated 23 percent year-over-year drop in airfares, nearly 4 million will hit the TSA lines — up 5 percent — though many will hand over their airfare savings at the rental-car counter when they land, as AAA notes average rental-car rates are up 34 percent.

Expect Traffic

If you expect Wednesday to see the worst traffic, think again. Transportation analytics firm Inrix pegs the evening rush on Tuesday, not Wednesday, as the worst travel times in eight of 10 major metro areas next week. In that slot, Inrix expects travel times in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco to be 250-300 percent worse than the optimal trip. That’s certain to rankle holiday travelers, as a recent GM-backed study deemed traffic the No. 1 stressor on family road trips.

Last year, GM joined child-seat advocacy group Safe Kids Worldwide to recommend the following holiday-weekend safety precautions. They bear repeating for 2017:

• Buckle your seat belt every time you’re in the car, and ensure your passengers do the same.
• Watch for distracted pedestrians and drivers in parking lots during the hectic holiday shopping season.
• Remind teens to be extra careful in more challenging winter driving conditions.
• Never use hand-held electronic devices while driving.
• Designate a driver if you attend a party and plan to consume alcohol.
• Keep large packages — or anything else that could become a projectile during a sudden stop — in the trunk.

What to Pack

And for a checklist of what to take along in the car on your family road trips this holiday season, watch the video below:

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