Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
With the Christmas and New Year holidays just around the corner, the American Automobile Association (AAA) is forecasting that a record-setting number of Floridians will travel during the period, and that gasoline prices will continue to plunge.
The news is not altogether happy, however, as the organization also warns that dangerous driving behaviors are on the rise.
In terms of holiday travel, the AAA expects that 6.3 million Floridians will travel 50 or more miles away from home during the year-end holidays of Dec. 23 through Jan. 2.
“That’s an increase of nearly 108,000 people over last year and a new record-high for the year-end holiday travel period in Florida,” the AAA said, adding that national travel figures also were stronger than in 2021, although still slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels.
An estimated 112.7 million Americans are expected to travel during the coming holidays, according to the AAA. The 112.7 million, it says, represent an increase of 3.6 million over last year, making it the third busiest since the organization began tracking travel in 2000.The AAA estimates that nationwide, 90 percent of holiday travelers will drive to their destinations, which in Florida translates into nearly 5.8 million people on the road, or 110,000 more than in 2021 and a two-percent increase from 2019.The AAA also expects a 14-percent increase in air travel from last year and a 23-percent increase over the previous year in the use of other modes of transportation, such as bus, rail and cruse ship.“Despite inflationary pressures, consumers remain resilient and dedicated to travel this year, and the holidays will be no different,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Americans are spending more on travel than at any other time in the past two years. The good news is that the cost for a holiday road trip will be less expensive than anticipated, now that gas prices are on the way down.”Gas prices have indeed plunged in recent weeks, presenting holiday road trippers with an early gift at the pump, according to the AAA. It notes that the average gas price in Florida has declined 54 cents per gallon since mid November and is expected to get cheaper as the year-end holidays approach."The plunge at the pump is the result of falling oil prices, which have plummeted primarily due to market concerns about a global economic recession," said Mark Jenkins, public relations manager, AAA - The Auto Club Group. "Lower oil prices lower the cost of producing gasoline. These low gas prices should hang around through the end of the year, unless oil prices unexpectedly rebound."He added that since most Americans had already made their holiday travel plans, the plunging pump prices might not necessarily lead to more auto travelers.“What we often see instead is consumers reallocating the added savings, spending more on hotels, shopping and dining out,” Jenkins said.As of Monday, Dec. 19, Florida gas prices averaged $3.03 per gallon at the pump, the lowest daily average price since September 2021. And in some parts of the state, the price of gas was already as low $2.76 per gallon.On a more sobering note, the AAA points to new research that shows a troubling increase in risky behavior that often contributes to deadly crashes.According to the organization, a new report reveals that unsafe driving behaviors increased from 2020 to 2021, following three years of steady declines.Per the study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the rise in risky behavior included speeding, red light running, drowsy driving and driving impaired due to cannabis or alcohol consumption.The most alarming increase, the study found, was among drivers who admitted to getting behind the wheel after drinking enough that they felt they were over the legal limit – an increase of nearly 24 percent. “The reversal in the frequency of U.S. drivers engaging in risky driving behavior is disturbing,” Jenkins said. “While drivers acknowledge that certain activities like speeding and driving impaired are not safe, many engage in these activities anyway. This reckless attitude can be life altering.”According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traffic fatalities have increased since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The NHTSA estimates that 42,915 persons have died in vehicle traffic crashes in 2021, representing a 10.5 percent increase from the 38,824 killed in 2020.
According to the NHTSA, dangerous driving behavior such as speeding, alcohol impairment and non-use of seatbelts accounted for a considerable proportion of the increased fatalities.