AAA projects nearly 48 million Americans will travel for July 4th, and more than 42 million will be hitting the roads.
"It looks like Independence Day is going to be the second busiest since 2000," said AAA Georgia Spokesman Garrett Townsend. "It doesn't look like anything is going to deter them from their travel vacation plans."
The auto club's annual July 4th travel forecast projects that 1.5 million Georgians will be on the move, and 90% will be traveling by car.
"We always tell people to pack your patients and make sure that you plan out your trip," Townsend explained. "Avoid the rush [by trying] to travel on off-peak times."
Starting Thursday, travel volumes are expected to pick up, so AAA says if you're heading out, make sure it's either before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
"Our top destination for this particular holiday is going to be Orlando, for the attractions and the parks there," Townsend told AccessWDUN.
In addition to the travel projections, AAA expects to respond to more than 440,000 breakdown-related calls. Officials said this was due in part to the excess heat.
Jerry Roberts, service manager at Hardy Chevrolet in Gainesville, said the number of people bringing their car in for a pre-holiday check is picking up. Roberts said the extreme heat we've experienced recently could lead to more wear and tear on your vehicle, especially the tires.
"The tires build up a lot more heat when it's really hot outside, and it can cause you to have blowouts and things like that," Roberts explained. "A lot of people tow trailers and campers and things, and heat is a big factor in trailer tires that go out."
You can read the full AAA projections here.
