(WKBN) — It’s Labor Day, the tail-end of a long weekend, and that means many are hitting the road for — or coming back from — one last summer vacation.
With Labor Day weekend travel expected to be up this year, some experts shed some light on what travelers can anticipate.
“We’re seeing domestic bookings up 4% over 2022, and international bookings are up 44%,” Lambert says.
Lynda Lambert with AAA East Central says summer air travel has continued in an upward trend this year, and international destinations are especially popular.
If you’re flying out — or back — from a trip, Lambert suggests getting to the airport early and being patient with holiday weekend delays. If you’re hitting the road, Lambert says gas prices are expected to be about 24 cents higher than in July. She recommends avoiding traveling between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Labor Day to avoid heavy city traffic.
“Make sure you get up and get out early, or wait and leave later in the day, because you could hit some heavy congestion and that would extend your travel time,” Lambert says.
If you plan on hitting Ohio’s highways, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will have increased patrols this year. Though there were only five traffic fatalities over Labor Day weekend last year.
Sgt. Bridget Matt with the highway patrol wants to keep that statistic down.
“It was a little bit of an anomaly last year, but we’re hoping that it’s not an anomaly and that it does continue to be even lower,” Matt said.
Issues like impaired driving, speeding and distracted driving contribute the most to Labor Day long weekend crashes.
Matt says to be extra cautious and leave with plenty of time to get to your destination.
“Keeping speed in mind, and also put the distractions down. Make sure that your eyes and attention are focused on the roadway,” Matt said.
And if you do see an impaired driver or you need assistance with something like a flat tire, you can dial 6-7-7 to get in touch with the nearest highway patrol post.
