LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18)-- — AAA predicts that this will be the busiest Fourth of July travel period they have ever tracked.
The company predicts that nearly 49 million Americans will have a holiday getaway.
"It's the highest number of travelers on record since AAA began recording the numbers in the year 2000," said AAA spokesperson Cheryl Parker.
They expect that four million will travel by air, but about 85% of travelers will drive to their destinations. Lexington resident Mary Beth Freeman told LEX 18 that she is spending the holiday with her grandchildren who came in from Washington D.C.
"It was about a nine hour drive and leaving D.C. with everybody else, I think the traffic was pretty bad, but once they got about two hours out, they said it was pretty smooth sailing," she said.
AAA says that part of what is driving people to venture out for the holiday is lower gas prices.
"In the last week or so, we've seen them start to go up a bit, but by and large over the past year, they've been trending lower," said Parker.
If you are staying in Kentucky for the holiday, AAA wants to make sure people are safe when they celebrate. AAA has partnered with Safe Ride Kentucky and they are offering discounts through the Lyft app. Just type in the code 'SAFERIDEKY4TH19' it will work from Wednesday at 5 p.m. through Friday at 5 a.m.
