NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It looks like more people are going to try to get out of town for the Memorial Day holiday than have done so in recent years.
"We're looking at 43.8 million people around the country traveling 50 miles or more from their homes," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "That's a pretty big number. We're expecting a record number of people driving to their destination."
AAA projects 38.4 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend, the highest number for that holiday since AAA began tracking in 2000.
"It's important to keep safety in mind," Steward said. "Especially when the highways are more crowded than they typically are. It's obviously orange cone season. Be attuned to those construction zones. Follow directions of slowing down, paying attention to lane changes, etc."
Traveling by car is appealing for many people because of the convenience and flexibility it provides. This Memorial Day weekend drivers can expect similar gas prices as last year when the national average was roughly $3.57.
"If you're traveling in Kansas, or in our general vicinity in the center of the country, and a little bit toward our southeast, that's where the lowest gas prices are going to be," Steward said.
The Kansas average as of May 18 is $3.15 a gallon.
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