LAS VEGAS (KLAS ) — The majority of people traveling for Thanksgiving will not be flying they’ll be driving.
Drivers planning on getting behind the wheel should be prepared for traffic.
AAA predicts this year to be the third busiest for Thanksgiving travel since it started tracking numbers in the early 2000s. AAA spokesman John Treanor said many travelers are driving to their destinations much like last year.
“We wondered what were gas prices going to do, what were the prices of everything going up going to do to travelers? It doesn’t seem to have affected the appetite for travel and I think that’s based on the power of the holiday,” Treanor said. “We haven’t been able to do this a lot. Pandemic restrictions have made it difficult or impossible for some people to go home or see family. They don’t have to do that anymore.”
Las Vegas is a top destination spot with many tourists coming in from neighboring states such as Anis Chafai from Orange County California.
He drove to Las Vegas Sunday night to avoid the traffic. He told 8 News Now his family is doing some sightseeing before they plan to go back to California tomorrow.
“We are going to leave tomorrow early in the morning to avoid the traffic because I have 2 kids. Came here with my brother and my wife too,” Chafai said. “It’s so much fun, we’ve never been here and it’s so exciting. We’ve been to a lot of places and Las Vegas is the best.”
Andres and Laura Lopez arrived last night from Los Angeles.
He said drivers should be prepared for congestion.
“We just picked up a car and drove all the way from la to las vegas and took us about 6 hours and a half. Traffic was terrible,” Andres said. “There was one part of the freeway that was shut. All the lanes were shut and only one was open and all the heavy traffic was just cruising on one lane.”
AAA told 8 News Now the day before Thanksgiving tends to be the busiest day for road travel.
Sunday is also expected to be busy.
If you are heading back to Southern California on Sunday be prepared for back ups near Primm in the afternoon.
Hitting the road early on will be drivers’ best bet as they make their way to their travel destinations.
