Trending
The calendar tells us many children have gone back to school and the days are getting shorter but for many residents of Superiorland and beyond, there is still one more excuse to use the swimsuits and beach towels before packing them up for good: Labor Day.
Our highways and byways are expected to be packed for the long holiday weekend coming up as millions of Americans mark the unofficial end of summer the same way they celebrated the season’s unofficial start: by driving somewhere.
Why Labor Day?
“Not everyone travels for Labor Day, not compared to July 4th or Thanksgiving -- those are the most popular ones,” a spokesperson for AAA said. “But certainly Labor Day offers people a way to get away for a final weekend of the summer. You’ve got people who are either taking the three-day weekend or perhaps taking off the whole week before Labor Day.”
Are you driving?
Most people when traveling for Labor Day take the family or personal vehicle. If you are driving, get ready for higher gas prices as motorists are paying a lot at the pump compared with last year. According to GasBuddy, which surveys 150,000 stations across the U.S. weekly, prices across the nation are about 85 cents per gallon higher this summer than last, due, almost certainly, to the fighting with Iran.
When is the best time to hit the road?
If you plan to start your drive on the Thursday or Friday before Labor Day, you will be sharing the road with commuters. You might want to leave before morning rush hour or even in the evening to avoid jams.
One transportation-data provider we found says the worst time to travel by car on Thursday will be between 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and on Friday between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. That flips on Saturday, when you’ll want to avoid driving between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
For the return trip, pretty much all day Monday -- from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. -- will be a slog, according to INRIX.
And watch out for risky drivers. Historic data from Arity, part of insurance giant Allstate, indicates that speeding over 80 mph is up and “very high speeding” -- faster than 100 mph -- is also up.
In a surprising twist, however, Arity says distracted driving has dropped in recent Labor Days.
If you are hitting the open road, it’s best to plan ahead as much as possible and remember to be patient. It might also be a good idea to keep those electronic devices charged, if you do encounter some layovers during your travels.
We hope everyone has safe travels and a happy Labor Day.