Holiday Travel Expected to be Heavy

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- AAA is expecting near record-breaking amount of Memorial Weekend travel.

According to AAA 1.5 million Ohioans will be traveling at least 50 miles this holiday weekend. Zanesville Post Commander Lt. Matt Boyd said this means busier roads, which means drivers will need to be more alert to their surroundings.

“Even though gas prices are higher, the highest they’ve been in three years, AAA still predicts it will be a 4.5 percent increase, roughly, in the amount of people traveling. It’s supposed to be the highest number of people traveling since 2005. We want people to plan their trip, make sure their vehicle is safe for the trip. Make sure they plan ahead. Allow sufficient amount of travel time,” said Boyd.

Boyd said for the state highway patrol Memorial Weekend, it’s an unofficial start to the summer. He said this usually means warmer temperatures which leads to more motorcycles out on the road.

Muskingum County is always a busy area for motorcycle travel. There’s a lot of great, pretty roads in Muskingum, Coshocton County and poker runs as we get into the summer. Memorial Day is kind of the kick off for that too. There are the dedicated motorcycle riders that ride in colder weather but, as the warmer weather, there will be a lot more people out on motorcycles out traveling as well,” said Boyd.

Boyd said  Muskingum County had 20 vehicle crashes during Memorial Weekend in 2017. He said all were non-injuries accidents.