Roadways will be busy this weekend

Five million Californians expected to travel

For the first time on record, the number of travelers over the Independence Day holiday will exceed 5 million statewide and 3.1 million in the Southland, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

For the first time on record, the number of travelers over the Independence Day holiday will exceed 5 million statewide and 3.1 million in the Southland, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Travel is expected to increase by 2.8 percent statewide and in Southern California compared to last year’s Fourth of July holiday. An Independence Day holiday trip is defined as one of 50 miles away from home between Friday, June 30 and Tuesday, July 4.

Seventy-nine percent of Southern California travelers, or 2.5 million, are expected to drive to their holiday destinations, which is a 2.7 percent increase from last year, while 395,000 are projected to fly, a 5.6 percent increase from last year’s holiday.

Most travelers will find gas prices lower than they have been in a few weeks and only slightly higher than a year ago. Gas Buddy reported Thursday morning gas prices in Porterville range from a low of $2.69 at the ARCO and Applegate market locations, to $2.99 at Valero. In Tulare, gas prices of $2.59 can be found at numerous locations and in some areas of the state, the price is below $2.50 a gallon.

“Travelers continue to feel confident that they have the discretionary income to spend on trips because of rising wages and lower unemployment,” said Filomena Andre, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel. “Strong growth in air travel also indicates a full recovery from the recession of 2008 and 2009.”

Gas price averages are now just about 10 cents more than prices last year at this time, and most pump prices for regular unleaded are under $3 a gallon.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeleslong Beach area is $2.97 per gallon, which is four cents below last week, eight cents below last month, and five cents higher than last year.

“A record 3.1 million Southern Californians are expected to travel over the Fourth of July, and they will likely be paying about the same to gas up as they did at this time last year,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “This means that summer travelers will enjoy the lowest gas prices for the Independence Day holiday since 2009. Gas prices are falling around the country as well, with today’s national average price at $2.28 a gallon for regular unleaded.”

The California Highway Patrol, along with local law enforcement, will observe a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) focused on speed enforcement beginning at 6:01 p.m. today and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4.

During the 2016 Independence Day MEP, 35 people were killed on California’s roadways. Of those who died in the CHP’S jurisdiction in 2016, 65 percent were not wearing seat belts. Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to reduce fatalities in motor vehicle collisions.

Also, throughout last year’s Fourth of July weekend, the CHP made 1,118 DUI arrests within a 78-hour period.