MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The American Automobile Association predicted that this Thanksgiving travel season will be the second busiest on record in Florida.
AAA estimates approximately 2.7 million Floridians will drive for the holidays this year. That's nearly 71,000 more Florida drivers than last year or an increase of 2.6%.
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This year's forecasted auto travel volume is 10,000 shy of the all-time high, which AAA said was set during the 2005 Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Nationwide, more than 49 million travelers are expected to pack up their cars and pull out of their driveways. It's about a 2% increase from the number of predicted travelers in 2022, but about a 2% decrease from the number of predicted travelers in 2019.
WPTV reporter Kate Hussey drove Florida's Turnpike and Interstate 95 during the time that AAA said was the worst for travel, from 2-6 p.m., and saw the roads were busy but moving.
WPTV reporter Ethan Stein drove down the same roads at night and didn't see significant slowdowns other than around Palm Beach International Airport.
AAA said the best time to drive on Wednesday was before 10 a.m.
If you missed that time period, the automobile group expects clear roads before 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving too.
"That makes sense," traveler Nineoet Tchioino said.
Tchioino, Edgar LLanos and their family were driving from Plantation to Daytona Beach for Thanksgiving and stopped at a rest stop off I-95 in Martin County.
"We always stop here," Llanos, who added the family left early to try and beat traffic, said. "We asked for some days off. It's better, you know, it's crazy."
"We always try to go ahead before people and come ahead," Tchioino added.
Spencer Howell pulled up to the same rest stop in a Chevy Bel Air with a plastic skeleton in the passenger seat.
"Don't forget Johnny Bones back here," Howell, pointing to his not-so-talkative co-pilot, said.
Together, they trekked from Miami to Daytona Beach in style and said he too tried to avoid travel headaches.
"I think a sense of anxiety goes about the driver whether it be new or old," Howell said.
Matthew Keller was traveling with his wife and toddler from Palm Beach County to DeLand and took a quick restroom break before hitting the road again.
“We're dealing with the terrors of toddlerhood, so we had to bring along the small potty, that's what we were trying to accomplish," joked Keller. "We left as soon as we could."
Joe Zanelli, who was driving on I-95 Wednesday night, said the roads were a bit busier than normal. But, there wasn't too much traffic on the roads.
Chris Winward said he was driving to South Beach to spend the holiday with family. He said he expects traffic during his drive, which is later this week.
At KW Wrecker, a Martin County towing company, operator and manager Dustin Driscoll said Thanksgiving Eve is the company's Super Bowl.
"Yeah, this is definitely the time of year we have to be on point. We have so many people coming in and out of town, and then you have people going to their family’s get-togethers," Driscoll said. "Honestly, there's just so many people, it seems like it multiples consistently every holiday season."
Driscoll said he typically tows quadruple the normal amount of cars this day, typically because of hurried and careless drivers.
"I'm getting to Thanksgiving dinner a lot later," Driscoll said.
Plus, being on the side of the road can be dangerous for tow truck drivers.
According to AAA and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, two emergency responders, including tow workers, are struck and killed every month in the U.S. by drivers who fail to obey the law by moving over to an adjacent lane and allowing the roadside rescuers the space to operate safely.
"My father was hit on the side of the road years ago," Driscoll said.
His advice for drivers: slow down, move over and never drive impaired so everyone can make it to the Thanksgiving table safely.
Below are AAA's road trip tips:
- Get a full vehicle inspection before setting out on your trip
- Leave early and allow extra time to get to your destination, so you are not in a rush
- Identify alternate routes in case you encounter congestion or road closures
- Avoid distractions while driving. Program your GPS before you drive
- Ensure everyone in the vehicle wears their seat belt
- Never drive impaired