Record Travel Predicted On Ohio Roads For July 4th Weekend

Presented By Hometown-Motors, Inc.

(COLUMBUS) – The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Ohio State Highway Patrol and AAA are reminding drivers to be alert and patient if traveling over the Independence Day weekend.

AAA expects overall Independence Day weekend (July 1-5) travel volumes to nearly recover to pre-pandemic levels, and auto travel to surpass the records set in 2019. Of the more than two million Ohioans that plan to travel this Independence Day, 95% of them will drive to their destinations. INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts the heaviest congestion during the late afternoon on Thursday, Friday and Monday. With so many people on the roads, AAA expects to rescue more than 460,000 Americans with roadside assistance during the five day holiday travel period. AAA reminds motorists to make sure their vehicle is road-trip-ready and remember to pack an emergency roadside kit.

ODOT is working on more than 1,000 construction projects across the state this year. Efforts have been made to reduce the size of work zones as much as possible to accommodate the increased holiday traffic. However, it isn’t possible to remove all the orange barrels. ODOT is reminding holiday travelers this year that work zones require extra attention from drivers and work zone speed limits are reduced for the safety of both workers and motorists. Drivers need to slow down and pay attention to navigate through the work area for their own safety, the safety of any workers who might be on the job, and the safety of other drivers.

As part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Operation CARE enforcement campaigns, the Patrol’s primary focus will be removing impaired drivers from the roadways and ensuring all drivers are buckled up. Last year in Ohio, 24 fatal crashes killed 25 people during the July Fourth holiday weekend. Of those fatalities, 18 involved impaired driving and ten were not wearing an available safety belt. During the holiday weekend, troopers will be highly visible and urging motorists to drive carefully and follow all traffic laws.