SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Even after the holiday, the Fourth of July weekend is a busy time for travel, but going into this weekend, South Dakota may be seeing more traffic than usual.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has followed trends to provide travel tips as the roads get even busier. Going into the week, they expected nearly 71 million Americans would be traveling and they’re on pace for close to their projections.

Travel is always forecasted very high in the middle of the summer with the Independence Day holiday and the peak of vacation and road trip season.

AAA said that this year has seen higher travel volume than ever before, with 214,201 residents, over 20% of all South Dakotans, traveling more than fifty miles to a Fourth of July destination, most of them driving.

“South Dakota saw around 180,000 people hitting the road. With fourth of July being on a Thursday, people did fourth of July celebrations last weekend. They’re continuing them into this weekend, so that’s a really long travel period,” said Public & Government Affairs Manager with AAA, Rylie Fletcher.

One factor that has an impact on the number of travelers is the prices at the pump. While the cost of a gallon of gas is steadily going up again, it’s still lower than it has been around the holiday in recent years.

The average cost of a gallon of gas in South Dakota is slightly above $3.20, more than 25 cents cheaper than a year ago.

Fletcher said that the recent jump was expected due to rising demand.

“We did see gas prices increase, but not too significantly. They might increase a little bit more just as summer demand for travel continues to increase, but it’s not likely that we’ll see the surge like we did two summers ago in 2022,” Fletcher explained.

With the influx of drivers, AAA wants drivers to be aware of their surroundings and be safe on the roads. They suggest giving yourself extra time and being patient with other drivers.

You should inspect your vehicle before a road trip and like always, never drive impaired or distracted.

“All of those things we know we should be doing every single day, make sure you practice them with extra diligence on a weekend like this upcoming weekend because there are so many other drivers on the roads. It’s important that you’re doing your part,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher also said that the busiest times to be on the road are between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and if you want to see less traffic, try leaving earlier in the day. She also recommended avoiding nighttime driving because even though there’s less traffic, there may be more impaired drivers.

Copyright 2024 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.