Motorists get big gas break while traveling during holiday
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Like millions of Americans, Emmanuel Nelson of East Falls, and his family are filling up the gas tank.
"Bags are in the garage. All I gotta do is back up, open the hatch and throw them in," he said.
And then heading out of town for an Independence Day weekend trip.
"I am going to Ocean City, Maryland after I pick my son up from day camp," Nelson said.
We have good news.
Gas this year for Independence Day weekend is as low as it's been in a long time.
Sheila Davis of Bala Cynwyd, Pa. said, "It's nice that we can enjoy some low prices."
"I just bought a motor home so even better," (laughs) Marion Lambert of Cape May, NJ.
Triple A says the national average in gas prices is down 13 cents compared to a month ago.
It's so low right now they're calling the holiday weekend, "Motorists are going to experience what we call Christmas in July," said Jana Tidwell of AAA Public Affairs.
In fact, gas for this Independence Day weekend is cheaper than it's been in 12 years.
There's no doubt that has people filling up the tank and heading out of town.
"Now that the gas is lower I can go a longer distance," Nelson said.
As a result officials say you'll see way more cars on the road during the weekend.
They're expecting a record number of commuters traveling.
"Projections here in the Philly 5 county area were expecting over 590 k residents to travel 50 miles or more. It's the largest number of travelers on record," Tidwell said.
Around 85 percent of all holiday travel will be on the roads.
So with such a high volume expected, here's something you might want to keep in mind.
"Think about traveling on off peak times maybe early in the morning or later at night after the evening rush hour," said Tidwell.
Again, that tip is easier said than done. But if you want to avoid the slow crawl in traffic like this - try heading out during those off peak time.
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