Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Tuesday, November 26, 2013
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Most people who will be traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday will do so by car.
However the number of people projected to be on the road for the extended Wednesday-through-Sunday weekend is either up, or down, depending on which source you want to believe.
AAA predicts fewer Americans will travel over Thanksgiving, even though gas prices are expected to be at their lowest in three years for this time period.
According to AAA, 43.4-million people will journey 50 miles or more, a decrease of 1.5-percent from last year.
Lower gas prices are the reason Washington-based congestion tracking firm, INRIX suggests holiday travel will be heavier than last year.
Either way, roads and airports will be busy.
Wednesday is the busiest travel day, and the hours between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. are expected to be the busiest for travel.
INRIX advises travelers venturing out after 7 p.m. on Wednesday should experience no congestion.
As for airports , Airlines for America expects the number of people flying to increase; and suggests adding 20 minutes to get to the airport.
At the Indianapolis International Airport, there are special discounted rates for parking seven days or more on Level 5 of the airport garage.
State Police are expected to increase patrols across the country. In Indiana, troopers are especially looking out for seatbelt violations.
The National Safety Council predicts 436 people will die in traffic crashes from Wednesday through Sunday of the holiday weekend, and suggests 158 lives might be saved by buckling up.
An interesting note about this Thanksgiving holiday, and what may create more travelers, is that it falls during Hanukkah.
The last time that happened was in 1888; and it's not expected to happen again in this lifetime.
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