Close to 47 million travelers are expected to hit the roads this Thanksgiving for trips of 50 miles or more, according to a report from AAA, meaning certain frustration for those of us among them.
The number is actually the highest amount of people expected on the road in eight years, according to AAA. The increase in travel is attributed to lower gas prices and an improved economy.
Thankfully, our kind Internet overlords at Google looked through three years of trends and have put together some recommendations for avoiding the worst of traffic. Wednesday is expected to be the worst for traffic nationwide, so Google recommends hitting the road Tuesday if you can. As far as getting home, Google recommends you push the limits of your family’s hospitality and take off on Sunday rather than Saturday—traffic can be up to 40 percent worse on Saturday.
A report from the navigation app Waze actually recommends pushing your initial travel back even further, if possible. The company studied trends from 2014 and found that peak traffic times occur Tuesday from 4 pm to 8 pm and Wednesday from 3 to 7 pm. The app also found an increase of 63 percent in accident alerts and a 32 percent increase in hazard reports on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The app reports driving behavior similar to a weekend day on Thursday, meaning you could skip out on traffic by traveling day of.
Meanwhile. those traveling by air could be delayed by increased airport security, CBS New York reports.
For traffic reports on the day of your departure, both The Journal News and News 12 have maps.
