Millions of Holiday Travelers on Texas Roads
The highways in Texas will be crowded this weekend. Photo by Callie Hernandez/KUT NewsAbout 2.8 million Texans will be traveling this weekend, according to projections by AAA. Some will fly, some will take a train or bus, but 2.5 million will hop in the car because it’s usually the cheaper option.
The average holiday trip in Texas is projected to be 580 miles round trip, which is a little more than it takes to get from Austin to the beach. But AAA’s Doug Shoupe says that’s not the most popular destination.
“The number one reason for traveling on the Memorial Day holiday is to go and see friends and family,” Shoupe said. “The number two thing that they’ll be doing is dining. Number three is shopping, and then also visiting a waterfront is another option.”
Memorial Day travel in Texas will be up about 2 percent this year from last. But the distance traveled is down from 2011.
As always state and local law enforcement are asking travelers to drive safely — and sober. It’s a no-refusal weekend for the Austin Police Department. That means if you’re pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving, you have to take a breath test or have blood drawn to test your sobriety.
