Detroit's Holiday Traffic Will Be Painful Today, Says AAA

A record number of Americans plan on traveling during the year-end holiday period hitting the roads, air and tracks as they head to their destinations, the American Auto Association said on Thursday. Some 107 million Americans will travel as the year comes to a close, marking the highest year-end travel volume on record.

In the Detroit metropolitan area, expect that rush hour trip down the Southfield Freeway or across I-96 and I-94 to be slow-moving. AAA expects Thursday to be the worst day for travel in the Motor City. And, traffic will be especially bad at 5:30 p.m., and travel time could be as much as one and a half times longer than the normal trip.

Travel has increased for every major holiday weekend this year and AAA projects the same for the final holiday season of the year. In fact, 2017 marks the ninth consecutive year holiday travel has increased.

Travelers are not being deterred by rising gas prices to travel less.

"We've seen the strong economy and growing consumer confidence fuel holiday travel all year long," AAA senior vice president Bill Sutherland said in a press release.

A majority of travelers will be hitting the roads to get to their destinations. AAA, which partnered with transportation analytics company INRIX, predicts travel times during the holiday week could be as much as three times longer than the normal trip.

Road Travel In Major Cities Across The Nation

Here's what AAA projects to be the worst travel times for major metro areas:
New York, New York
Worst day and time for travel: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as three times longer than the normal trip.

Los Angeles, California
Worst day and time for travel: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 3:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as two and a half times longer than the normal trip.

Washington, DC
Worst day and time for travel: Thursday, Dec. 21, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as two and a half times longer than the normal trip.

San Francisco, California
Worst day and time for travel: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 3 – 5:30 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as two times longer than the normal trip.

Chicago, Illinois
Worst day and time for travel: Thursday, Dec. 21, 4 – 6 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as two times longer than the normal trip.

Boston, Massachusetts
Worst day and time for travel: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as two times longer than the normal trip.

Seattle, Washington
Worst day and time for travel: Wednesday, Dec. 20 4 — 6 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as two times longer than the normal trip.

Atlanta, Georgia
Worst day and time for travel: Thursday, Dec. 21, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as one and a half times longer than the normal trip.

Houston, Texas
Worst day and time for travel: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Travel time could be as much as one and a half times longer than the normal trip.

According to AAA, the best times to leave are typically early morning or after the morning commute. For those restricted by their schedules, traveling on the holiday itself results in fewer cars on the road.

Air Travel

For those traveling by air, TSA is expecting to screen more than 40 million passengers and crew through Jan 2. Passengers should plan to be at the airport two hours prior for a domestic flight and three hours prior for an international flight.

The TSA is also reminding passengers of new screening procedures being introduced in all airports. The new procedures involve requiring passengers to place electronic devices larger than a cellphone in bins for X-Ray screening.

The TSA marks the holiday travel period as between Dec. 15 and Jan. 2. The busiest travel days for air are expected to be Dec. 21 and Dec. 22. The Tuesday through Friday after Christmas and the Tuesday after New Year's Eve are also expected to be busy.

Passengers traveling with gifts are advised not to wrap the gifts because agents will need to unwrap them in case they trigger an alarm.

For more travel tips, check out the TSA holiday travel blog.

Health Tips

Dr. David Barlas, an emergency room physician at NYU Langone, says the best trip is a safe trip. Barlas spoke with Patch and offered a few simple trip for a safer travel experience.

Barlas says one of the most important things for travelers to have on hand is a photo of both their medical history and of any medications they may be taking. The best way to do this is to take a photo on a cellphone of both your medical history and of any pill bottles. He also recommends having your doctor's phone number on hand.

Travelers should also carry antihistamines for potential allergic reactions. Those traveling with children can carry liquid antihistamines but should check with their pediatricians about dosage, Barlas said. The plus side to liquid antihistamines is that adults can also take them.

Those prone to severe allergic reactions who have been prescribed an EpiPen should have the device on hand.
Carrying pain relievers like Tylenol and Advil is also a good idea.

Travelers with a history of heart problems or those over 50 should also carry a copy of an EKG with them, Barlas said. In emergency situations, it's useful to have one on hand to compare to a current EKG.

For emergency situations, Barlas says it's also useful to have a contact listed as ICE (in case of emergency) on one's phone as EMTs look for this information. Contacts listed as "mom" "dad" "wife" etc. are also useful for this purpose.

One of the final things Barlas recommends is carrying any medications in their original bottles, especially when traveling to a foreign country. Anyone with any unusual medications for things like chronic pain or seizures should carry a note from their doctor as the substances may be illegal in a foreign country.

File Photo by Carlos Osorio/Associated Press