RICHMOND, Va. — Nearly 1.23 million Virginians are expected to travel over the Memorial Day holiday weekend despite economic concerns, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
The number is slightly higher than last year but represents the lowest year-over-year growth rate for the holiday in nearly a decade.
"We know that economic uncertainty, cost of goods, things like that, is top of mind for a lot of people. So, that could be part of the reason why the growth this year isn't as much as it's been over the past couple of years," AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Morgan Dean said.
More than one million Virginians will drive to their holiday destinations, AAA reported. Dean said that figure is very similar to the record number of travelers who hit the road for Memorial Day back in 2005.
"It's going to be busy no matter how you're traveling, be it getting to the airport or if you're hitting the roadway or perhaps hitting the railways or grabbing a bus," he said. "There's going to be a good amount of people out there, and that's a big reminder."
AAA shared that gas prices are on the rise, but they're still about 40 cents cheaper than this time last year.
Meanwhile, Virginia State Police warned all available troopers and supervisors will be working over the holiday weekend.
VSP said their troopers investigated 13 fatalities on Virginia's roads during the four-day holiday last year.
Troopers cited more than 3,500 drivers for speeding and 1,400 drivers for reckless driving during that time period last year. They arrested 92 people for driving under the influence and cited 303 drivers for violating the "hands-free" phone law.
The state's "Click it or Ticket" campaign is in full effect this weekend, too.
"This is a tremendously busy time of year, with graduations, vacations, parties and moves," Superintendent of Virginia State Police Colonel Matthew Hanley said. "We need Virginians to slow down, to exercise patience, drive safely and arrive alive. We would rather you arrive late and alive than not at all."
Funds generated from summonses issued by Virginia State Police go directly to court fees and the state's Literary Fund, which benefits public school construction, technology funding and teacher retirement.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky| Facebook| Instagram| X| Threads| TikTok| YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
