Mary Alice Reporting – AAA East Central is gearing up for the holiday weekend that is the unofficial start to summer and they ask those driving to plan ahead.

Over 39 million people are predicted to go a distance of 50 miles or more this Memorial Day weekend, increasing over 8% over last year.

Public and Community Relations Manager Tiffany Stanley explains that most travel is done by vehicle and air.

And we expect to rescue over 388,000 motorists over the weekend and we’re expecting the top calls to be dead batter, lockout service, and flat tire.”

With more travelers, Stanley asks folks to pre-plan routes and to be patient during high traffic volume times with the worst times primarily in the early afternoon hours.

“We are projecting the heaviest traffic days to be Thursday and Friday before the holiday so it’s important that you leave as early as possible, or just wait until after 9pm.”

AAA is also reminding travelers, especially those going out of state, to follow any safety guidelines that establishments have posted.

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