Many people are planning to hit the road for this upcoming Fourth of July holiday, and with gas prices going down, AAA said the number of people driving could be the highest in quite some time.
Summer is here, gas prices are falling and travels are getting into full swing. With the Independence Day holiday coming up AAA said the number of people traveling by car is expected to tie a record set back in 2007.
Karen Padula stopped by the AAA office in Scranton to start planning her holiday getaway. She plans to travel by car.
"Just with kids, with two small children it's easier, you can pack what you need, you don't have to worry about flying and its a hassle, and it's everything we need. We can stop whenever we want, sometimes spontaneous just to try something different," said Padula.
Laurie Kohut says her AAA office has been extremely busy helping plan trips.
"There's definitly a lot more triptiks leaving the office, denfinitly the gas prices playing a lot on that. So I would say we're seeing a lot more business persay from last year so I think the travel is up in general," said Kohut.
AAA Director of Public Relations Craig Smith says the status of the economy and people traveling go hand in hand.
"Increased travel is because the economy is getting a little better. We are seeing very positive signs in addition to the price of gasoline dropping. The national average is $3.51 but locally it's $3.21 to $3.23," said Smith.
With gas prices going down and the holiday coming up, AAA is projecting 42 million drivers to be on the road which is nearly a 5% increase from last year.
Kathryn Padula said if gas prices go up again, she will have to rethink her trip.
"I think it would definitly phase us, I think we would really have to take a look at that and assess the situation and see if it's worth it," said Padula.
With so many people on the road, hopefully the weather will be nice for the holiday week as well.