AAA: 900,000 Hoosiers Traveling This Memorial Day Weekend

Thursday and Friday will be the busiest days to travel for the holiday weekend.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Nearly 900,000 Hoosiers will kick off the summer by traveling for Memorial Day weekend.

Jeanette Casselano from AAA says that the top destinations look a little different this year.

“This Memorial Day, we see a lot of people traveling to the normal number-one spot which is Orlando, Florida. But what I found really interesting is that of the top five, four of them are west coast states,” Casselano says.

Other popular destinations this year include Phoenix, Anchorage, Seattle, Las Vegas, and New York City.

The number of people in Indiana who say they'll be vacationing this weekend increased five percent from last year. 

Despite sky-rocketing gas prices, over 36 million Americans are going on road trips.  However, that means major highways could see delays up to three times longer than usual. Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest days on the highways.

Drivers will also be paying some of the highest fuel prices in years. The national average gas price is about $2.98 as of May 24, about 50-cents higher than a year ago and the highest since November of 2014.

Motorists will notice more police on the roads this holiday weekend. Indiana State Police and other police agencies will carry out the Click It or Ticket campaign. Troopers will be looking for people not wearing their seatbelts, speeders, and intoxicated drivers. The enforcement blitz has already started May 21 and continues through June 3.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of people killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained.

“Buckling up is something that should become second nature,” said Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter. “Besides that. Buckling up is the law. The consequences of not buckling up is real and can include the loss of life. Often, this tragedy could have been prevented with the use of a seat belt. No excuses, buckle up!”