A record number of nearly 1.9 million Illinoisans will hit the road, according to AAA.
This Memorial Day weekend, the “unofficial kickoff to summer,” Illinois residents are expected to hit the road in record numbers.
The American Automobile Association projects nearly 2.1 million Illinois residents will be traveling at least 50 miles this weekend, with a record number of about 1.9 million traveling by car. Overall, that’s an increase of about 70,000 Illinois travelers from last year’s Memorial Day weekend.
While the number of travelers has increased, it’s still shy of the record set in 2005 when 2.2 million Illinoisans traveled during the long holiday weekend.
“Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff to summer, so this is a popular time for people to get on the road,” said Molly Hart, spokesperson for AAA’s The Auto Club Group.
Across the country, AAA said this weekend is the second busiest Memorial Day weekend on record, with nearly 44 million Americans expected to travel at least 50 miles.
“Today, we’re past the pandemic. People are comfortable traveling and want to travel,” Hart said.
