Location data shows the best and worst times to drive this holiday week

Location data shows the best and worst times to drive this holiday week

Fast Company

The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and many people will soon begin hitting the roads for their Independence Day getaways. If you’re one of those travelers, you should be aware that the American Automobile Association (AAA) says that more people than ever will be taking to the highways to get to their destinations.

According to AAA, 60.6 million people will be traveling by car this July 4th period. That’s up from 57.8 million in 2023 and above the pre-pandemic 55.3 million who traveled via car over the July 4th holiday period in 2019. In total, the number of people traveling by car this holiday period is 9.5% more than in 2019.

If you are hitting the roads, the one thing you probably want to avoid as much as possible is traffic. So, when are the best and worst times to be behind the wheel if you want to stay away from road congestion?

Here’s what AAA says, based on data from transportation data and insights provider INRIX.

Best times to travel by car for the 4th of July 2024 period

INRIX data says the optimal road travel times this 4th of July period are:

  • Tuesday, July 2: after 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, July 3: before 12 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 4: before 12 p.m.
  • Friday, July 5: before 10 a.m.
  • Saturday, July 6: before 10 a.m.
  • Sunday, July 7: before 11 a.m.
  • Monday, July 8: after 7 p.m.

Worst times to travel by car for the 4th of July 2024 period

If you can’t travel during the best time periods above, you should at least try to avoid the roads during the following periods if you want to stay away from the worst traffic congestion.

  • Tuesday, July 2: 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, July 3: 2:00 – 7:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 4: 2:00 – 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, July 5: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 6: 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 7: 2:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  • Monday, July 8: 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Air travel for 4th of July 2024 period

For those of you flying instead of driving, don’t think you’ll be avoiding congestion either.

AAA says that 5.74 million people will take to the skies this July 4th period. That’s up 6.8% from 2023, when 5.37 million people traveled by air. It’s also a 12.3% increase over the number of air passengers for the July 4th, 2019, period.

AAA says that if you are flying, you should be at the airport at least two hours before your plane departs.

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