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Delawareans expected to travel in record numbers for July 4th holiday

Delaware Public Media

A record number of Delawareans will be traveling this July 4th holiday.

 

 Some travelers may want to declare their independence from traffic, especially on Tuesday according to Ken Grant, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

“We are looking at more than 124,000 Delaware residents planning to travel over 50 miles during this holiday week. We’re defining that as between Tuesday, July 3rd through Sunday, July 8th. And this represents a good 7% increase over last year,” Garnt said.

He says the travel agency attributes the increase in part to confidence in the economy.  He adds that the that fact July 4th falls in the middle of the week also gives people the flexibility to take most of the week off or just Thursday and Friday for an extended weekend.

 

“Part of that is due to competency in the economy. Another part of it is the fact that Independence Day falls right smack-dad in the middle of the week on Wednesday, which gives people a lot more flexibility, whether they decided to take off early and have that go through the entire week  or take off Thursday and Friday to extend that vacation time,” said Grant.

Grant also advises anyone travelling to take into account the high heat and humidity forecasted and get any needed maintenance done before leaving.   

During the 2017 Independence Day holiday, AAA Mid-Atlantic rescued more than 1,400 drivers in Delaware as a result of dead batteries, lockouts and flat tires and more.

 

Kelli Steele has over 30 years of experience covering news in Delaware, Baltimore, Winchester, Virginia, Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California.