Worst Time To Drive In Atlanta This Holiday Season: AAA

ATLANTA, GA — A new AAA estimate says about 115.6 million Americans will travel his holiday season, breaking last year's record by over 4 million. A release sent to Patch from the AAA Atlanta Regional Office says over 104 million of these travelers will be driving.

INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects delays to be at their worst on Thursday, Dec. 26, with many trip times being doubled.

Atlanta is no exception to the rule of increased traffic. The day after Christmas, between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., travel time in the area is expected to be multiplied by 1.3.

At least we're not in New York City or Washington, D.C., where travel times are expected to be multiplied by 2.7 and 3, respectively.

"Holiday cheer is at an all-time high this year, with unemployment at historically low levels, and noted improvements in both disposable income and household net worth," said Paula Twidale, vice president, AAA Travel. "Travelers should be getting used to crowded highways and airports, as this marks the eighth straight year of new record-high travel volumes for the year-end holidays."

Here are some travel stats for the country and for Georgia, as provided by AAA:

By the numbers: 2019 Year-End Holiday Travel

Total numbers of travelers:

• National: 115.6 million travelers
• Georgia: 3,096,267 travelers

Automobiles: More Americans than ever on record will drive this holiday season.

• National: 104.8 million; 3.9% more than last year.
• Georgia: 186,799; 3.7% increase over last year.

Planes:

• National: 6.97 million people will take to the skies, the highest number on record since 2003; 4.9% more than last year.
• Georgia: 186,799 Georgians will travel by air, a 4.0% increase over last year.

Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships:

• National: 3% increase to 3.81 million passengers
• Georgia: 3.8% increase to 126,269 passengers

"Although congestion will be lighter than normal, knowing when and where major delays will likely happen will help save time and reduce stress this holiday season," says Trevor Reed, a transportation analyst at INRIX, the release says.