Calm, caution urged amid packed roads for July 4th

Expanded weekend to set travel records

“The goal is to get to your destination safely — not win a fight.”

Tamra Johnson,

AAA spokeswoman

State police were warning motorists to take it easy Tuesday on roads packed with travelers after a string of highway fatalities leading up to the Fourth of July.

A record 44.2 million Americans were projected to travel at least 50 miles from their homes this holiday weekend from Friday through Tuesday, according to the auto club AAA. That would be 1.25 million more than last year.

Most of those travelers — 37.5 million — will drive to their destinations, spurred by cheap gas. The average price per gallon is 4 cents lower than last year, at $2.28, according to AAA.

“Drivers should pack their patience,” said Tamra Johnson, a AAA spokeswoman, with motorists scheduling breaks every two hours or 100 miles. “Heavy traffic can also lead to frustrated drivers and road rage. The goal is to get to your destination safely — not win a fight.”

Among fatalities: Four people died in a fiery crash in Florida early Sunday, when a car ran a stop sign and crashed into an SUV in Charlotte County, according to the state highway patrol.

In Concord, Calif., a hit-andrun collision killed two young boys and sent their mother and an infant to the hospital Friday night on an on-ramp to State Route 4, according to California Highway Patrol.

State police warned motorists and boaters against drinking and driving for the holiday and said extra enforcement was planned.

The weather wasn’t expected to throw a wet blanket on most picnics, parades and pyrotechnics marking Independence Day. But revelers in a few areas might need to duck and cover, AccuWeather said.

“The West is the easy one to call — it’s going to be hot but dry” with clear skies, AccuWeather meteorologist Evan Duffey told USA TODAY. “The coast gets a break because of the ocean, but you go over one mountain range, and it will be scorching hot.”

The eastern Great Lakes region and the Northeast also should be clear, Duffey said. A swath of the nation just south of that region could see a mixed bag, with some showers and clouds but also some sun, he said.

Washington, D.C., and Nashville are among cities where residents might be peering warily at the sky from time to time.

The Plains, from Minnesota to northern Texas, will see rain storms but “not a severe weather problem,” Duffey said.