It’s the unofficial end of summer and people are taking to the roads to enjoy it.
“We’re on our way to Maine,” said Beth Nugent, from Stillwater, New Jersey, said Friday.
AAA projects that the volume on the roads will be just as high as it was prior to the COVID pandemic, as it was during Memorial Day and Independence Day this year.
Gas prices have started to fall here in Connecticut, with the average being $3.79 for a gallon of regular unleaded.
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Drivers who spoke with NBC Connecticut said, despite gas prices being high, they still decided to travel.
“I filled up in New Jersey yesterday so it was a little bit cheaper,” said Justine McPherson, of Westchester, New York. “But yeah, the prices have been high. It’s slowed us down. We have a house up there and definitely been watching the gas prices this summer and maybe not traveling quite as much. But it’s Labor Day so we’re going to go.”
The worst times to travel when the roads will be the busiest are Friday afternoon and Monday afternoon, according to AAA. Drivers who spoke with NBC Connecticut purposely got on the roads early to avoid the traffic.
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“We always get up early and leave early, then you don’t run into a lot of problems. If you go later, anybody’s guess,” said Nugent.
“We expected it to be pretty bad, but we got out on the road early. So GPS says it’ll only take about four-and-a-half hours, so hopefully, that will hold true,” said McPherson.
While you’re out driving this weekend, more state troopers will also be on the roads. They will have additional troopers patrolling the highways and checkpoints set up, looking for impaired drivers.
“We want people to ditch the distractions, get off their cell phones, pay attention, be mindful of what's going on around them. We also have the Move Over law. Ww want individuals to understand that and when they see emergency vehicles, tow trucks on the side of the road, to move over if they can do safely,” said Sgt. Christine Jeltema with the Connecticut State Police.
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