In spite of high gas prices, 2.88 million Southern Californians — an increase from last year — are expected to travel for the Fourth of July weekend, starting Thursday.
The Automobile Club of Southern California says the number of Southlanders who’ll travel away from home, mostly on road trips, is up 1.5 percent compared to last year.
“We’re anticipating for L.A. and Orange County that’s going to mean some busy roads, especially about Thursday evening, July 3 and then over the weekend as well,” according to Marie Montgomery of AAA.
The Independence Day holiday comes as gas prices are expected to reach levels not seen since 2008. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose today for the eighth consecutive day, increasing four-tenths of a cent to $4.178, its highest amount since May 19.
Seventy-nine percent of Southern California travelers are expected to drive to their destination, which is up 2 percent over last year, Montgomery said.
Across California, 4.64 million people are expected to travel over the holiday weekend, which is also a 1.5 percent increase last year. Nationally, 41 million are expected to travel, which is up 1.9 percent over last year, according to AAA’s forecast.
According to a survey of AAA Travel agents, the top five destinations for Southern Californians this holiday are San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco and California’s Central Coast, from Santa Barbara to Monterey.
