AAA says almost 900,000 Oregonians will be traveling for the Fourth of July holiday

A record 72.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more for the Fourth of July holiday this year according to projections by auto club AAA. Of those, 877,000 will be Oregonians. 

AAA considers the travel period for the holiday to run from June 27 to July 5. Marie Dodds, director of public and government affairs at AAA Oregon/Idaho, broke down this year’s travel trends.

“AAA is projecting record travel for the Fourth of July holiday period in both Oregon and nationwide, but the increase is pretty small year-over-year,” Dodds said. “Car travel is up just 0.2% over last year, and same story with air travel.”

Where travel is expected to change is in the “other” category, she said. Buses, trains and cruises, which are up 5.3% this year, fall into that category.

Dodds attributed the shift in travel choices to high gas prices. She said that despite falling prices over the past month, gas is still 60 to 65 cents more per gallon than it was last year at this time.

Another factor driving cruise popularity is availability, with Alaskan cruises only available during the summer.

Even with alternative modes of transportation becoming more popular this year, about 85% of travelers are still going by car. Because July Fourth lands on a Saturday this year, many drivers are taking Friday, July 3, off work. 

Dodds said this makes Thursday afternoon and Friday the most traffic-intensive times for travelers.

“If you’re one of the thousands of folks who are heading out on Friday, try to leave before 11 in the morning, if you can. If you leave in those prime afternoon hours, just expect lots of company,” Dodds said.

She also urged travelers to be prepared for travel.

“You can get stuck in the summer just as easily as in the winter,” Dodds said. “You may not have cellphone coverage or a wreck on a rural road or a fire can tie things up for hours.”

Last year AAA received 7,500 roadside calls in Oregon during the Independence Day travel period. The No. 1 reason was dead batteries, followed by flat tires and lockouts, Dodds said. 

“Ask yourself, ‘OK, do I have enough water and snacks and nonperishable foods for me and my passengers and my pets,’” Dodds said. “You want to make sure that everybody is comfortable and safe.”