Even with gas prices high, heavy holiday travel anticipated

CHICAGO (NewsNation) — With gas prices nearing $5 a gallon nationally, one might assume fewer people would take to the road this Fourth of July weekend. Such an assumption, however, would be wrong.

AAA says out of 48 million Americans who will travel more than 50 miles this weekend, a record 42 million will drive.

“Maybe people are changing their vacation style right now because everything is so expensive,” AAA spokesman Andrew Gross said to NewsNation’s “Rush Hour” Friday. “Another thing is, folks have had a year to watch the airline woes with the delays and cancelations and they may be thinking, you know I’ve only got five days to get away. I think I’m just going to go by car.”

But on their way to celebrate America’s independence, drivers can’t ignore the higher prices.

“We’re going up to Reno for the fireworks and stuff, but it’s going to be hell with the gas alone,” said Tim Murphy, who plans on driving this holiday weekend. “One of the reasons I bought this truck is because it has a 50-gallon tank, but that means it’s over $250 to fill it.”

It’s caused many to change their habits. “Instead of taking two cars, we’re trying to carpool a lot,” Liam McNichol said.

To save as much as possible, experts told NewsNation to hit the road early in the morning or late at night, and if you haven’t checked already, make sure those tires are properly inflated. It could save you 10% in fuel efficiency.