Stay safe next Holiday Weekend! 43 million Americans will start their summers with a Memorial Day weekend getaway. This long holiday weekend, will see the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking in 2000. An additional 1.5 million more people will take to the nation’s roads, rails and runways compared with last year, a 3.6% increase. Despite a rising national gas price average that is inching closer to the $3 per gallon mark, the vast majority of holiday travelers will drive to their destinations. For the 37.6 million Americans traveling by automobile, AAA predicts drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion on Thursday, May 24 and Friday, May 25 in the late afternoon as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. Several major U.S. metros could experience double the travel times compared to a normal trip, while areas like New York and Washington, D.C., could see three times the delay.

By the numbers: 2019 Memorial Day holiday travel forecast

• Automobiles: The vast majority of travelers – 37.6 million – will hit the road, the most on record for the holiday and 3.5% more than last year.

• Planes: 3.25 million people will take to the skies, 4.8% more than last year, second only to 2005.

• Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 3.8% to 1.9 million passengers.