Expect an increase in travel Memorial Day Weekend

TOPEKA (KSNT) - With Memorial Day weekend creeping up, busier roads are expected across Kansas. 

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has made a significant estimation, projecting that a staggering 43.8 million people will embark on journeys of at least 50 miles this weekend. That is a 4% increase over last year 2023. 

KSNT 27 News spoke with a AAA spokesman, Richard Martin, who said it's important to be a kind driver as you enter the roadways this weekend.

"Be patient," Martain said. "According to what AAA says, there's going to be a lot more people out on the road this year. Gas prices are down a little bit." 

AAA strongly advises planning your travel times. They suggest starting your drive before 11 a.m. on Thursday or Friday morning, and on the way home, start as late as possible on Monday to avoid a rush of traffic. 

The click-it-or-ticket campaign coincides with Memorial Day.

The national seat belt use rate in 2023 was 91.9%. The other 8.1% of drivers and passengers must remember that seat belts save lives. During this high visibility event, participating law enforcement agencies will take a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.

One of the focuses of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. NHTSA data shows a higher number of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities happen at night. Also, men are overrepresented in unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fatalities with 54% of men (8,098 people) and 41% of women (3,201 people) dying without a seat belt in 2022.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statement excerpt

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