With many workers receiving a four-day weekend for the
Thanksgiving holiday, area and state highways will be packed with
vehicles traveling to visit family and friends.
Beginning Wednesday at about 3 p.m., an estimated 1.68 million
motorists in Northern California will hit the roadways for the
holiday, according to the American Automobile Association, and
about 880,000 of them will be from the Bay Area.
With many workers receiving a four-day weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday, area and state highways will be packed with vehicles traveling to visit family and friends.
Beginning Wednesday at about 3 p.m., an estimated 1.68 million motorists in Northern California will hit the roadways for the holiday, according to the American Automobile Association, and about 880,000 of them will be from the Bay Area, said AAA spokesperson Atle Erlingsson.
According to the California Highway Patrol, traffic volume during the Thanksgiving holiday is the heaviest of the year, more so than at Christmas. In San Benito County, heavy traffic is expected on Highway 152 on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons into the evenings as drivers travel from U.S. 101 to I-5, said Terry Mayes, public affairs officer for the CHP.
“Traffic frequently will be bumper-to-bumper and stop-and-go (on Highway 152),” Mayes said. “People need to be patient and not pass. There’s nowhere to go on a two-lane road.”
Maze warns that drivers should make sure to buckle up during the holiday driving season, since the CHP has implemented a maximum enforcement period aimed specifically toward drivers not wearing seatbelts.
“The CHP is in a campaign that started in May of this year specifically directed to gain 92 percent compliance (of seatbelt laws),” Maze said. “We are currently at 91.2 percent and we want to get people to buckle up.”
In the Central Coast region that includes San Benito, Monterey, and Santa Cruz counties, 92,500 drivers are expected to hit the highways, AAA said.
Throughout California, AAA predicts that 3.7 million motorists will travel by car during the Thanksgiving weekend, up 1.2 percent from last year’s 3.64 million. The estimate is the highest number of auto travelers during the holiday weekend since 1998.
“Travel by car is a growing trend across the country, most likely influenced by the state of our economy,” Erlingsson said.
Because the economy is so weak, many holiday travelers are choosing to drive and forgo some of the cheapest airline tickets since 1988, Erlingsson said.
Yet, nearly 760,000 will take to the skies, which is a 4.5 percent increase from 2001.
“The airline industry is seeing the highest number of travelers than at any time since Sept. 11,” Erlingsson said. “Considering the economy, any increase over last year is a good increase.”
For those driving, the AAA recommends that drivers take a 5-minute break every two hours to stretch and stimulate the senses. People should not drive if they have not slept enough.
Driving under the influence of sleep deprivation is as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol, Erlingsson said.
Overall, more than 4.4 million Californians – or one out of every eight people – will travel at least 50 miles or more during the holiday weekend, a 2-percent increase from a year ago.
Nationwide, AAA expects 35.9 million Americans to travel, a 1.7 percent increase from the 35.3 million who traveled last year.
And once motorists get to their destinations, they can expect gorgeous holiday weather expected through the weekend.
The National Weather Service predicted clear and sunny skies with temperatures dropping on Thanksgiving and through the weekend to below normal in most regions.
In San Benito County, temperatures are expected to reach the mid-60s to low 70s, but during the weekend temperatures should fall to around 60 degrees with lows from the 30s to mid 40s.
The Bay Area is expected to have similar temperatures along the coast with inland temperatures about 10 degrees warmer.
