AAA, Detroit Tigers and Law Enforcement Team Up to Encourage Safe Summer Driving

Dearborn, Mich. (May 20, 2019) — Memorial Day signals the beginning of the summer travel season. It also signals a higher risk time for unsafe driving, motor vehicle crashes and fatalities. In a unified effort to help prevent traffic deaths and injuries, AAA Michigan, the Detroit Tigers, Michigan State Police and local law enforcement agencies have teamed up to promote a safer summer.
AAA and the Michigan State Police are partnering on Operation C.A.R.E. or Crash Awareness and Reduction Efforts. The purpose of this initiative is to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities resulting from crashes caused by dangerous driving behaviors. Operation C.A.R.E. banners will be up at 54 rest areas across the state during Memorial Day weekend, July 4th holiday and Labor Day weekend.  Many volunteer groups will be at the rest stops serving coffee, in cups featuring the Operation C.A.R.E. logo, and also providing traffic safety information.

“We are proud to partner with the Michigan State Police to bring attention to the need for all drivers to be alert behind the wheel,” said Heather Drake, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs, AAA Michigan. “This awareness effort emphasizes the need for all motorists to avoid distracted driving and take a break every two hours.  Last year during the three summer holidays a total of 38 lives were lost on Michigan roads.  We hope to make our roads safer this summer season through this awareness campaign.”

Guest speakers presented information on a variety of traffic safety issues during an event at Comerica Park in Detroit today. Speakers included:

AAA Michigan Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs Heather Drake
Detroit Police Chief James Craig     
Detroit Tigers Vice President of Communications Ron Colangelo
Macomb County Sheriff Department Lieutenant Jason Abro
Michigan State Police Lieutenant Colonel Rick Arnold
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard
Wayne County Sheriff Department Chief of Jails Robert Dunlap

Speakers also covered the following issues: impaired driving prevention, safety belt use, teen driver safety, distracted driving prevention, safe boating, underage drinking prevention, speed limit compliance and various new programs that support summer safety.  AAA provided Michigan’s travel projections for the Memorial Day weekend.

Nearly 1.3 million Michiganders will start their summers off on a high note with a Memorial Day weekend getaway.  This reflects a 3.3 percent increase in travelers compared to last year and is the largest number in almost 15 years.  More than 1.1 million of those traveling will be hitting the road.

Michigan Travel Trends

2019 marks Michigan’s:

• Seventh consecutive year of growth in Memorial Day travel with 3.3% more travelers than last year.
• Second highest travel volume on record for this holiday since 2005, when there were nearly 1.5 million Michigan travelers.

Automobiles:

• The vast majority of travelers – more than 1.1 million – will hit the road this Memorial Day holiday, over 3% more than last year.

Planes:

• Over 70,000 people will travel by air, close to a 5% increase and the seventh year of consecutive air travel volume increases.

This long holiday weekend, marking the unofficial start of summer vacation season, will see the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking national holiday travel volumes dating back to 2000, trailing only the bar set in 2005. Overall, an additional 1.5 million more people will take to the nation’s roads, rails and runways compared with last year, a 3.6% increase nationally.

Despite a rising national gas price average that is inching closer to the $3 per gallon mark, the vast majority of holiday travelers will drive to their destinations. For these motorists, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects travel delays on major roads could be more than three times longer than normal during evening commutes.

Drivers beware: Worst times to hit the road
For the 37.6 million Americans traveling by automobile, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion on Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24 in the late afternoon as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. Several major U.S. metros could experience double the travel times compared to a normal trip, while New Yorkers and Washington, D.C., could see three times the delay.

Worst Days/Times to Travel

Higher gas prices won’t keep holiday travelers home

Gas prices have increased by more than 30 cents in the last two months with the Michigan average approaching $3 per gallon ($2.87 on May 19, 2019), which is slightly less than prices this time last year ($3.01 on May 19, 2018). However, 88% of travelers will choose to drive to their Memorial Day destinations this year, the most on record.

“When gas prices are expensive, travelers may shorten the distance of a road trip, eat out less or look for free activities,” said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA Michigan. “But, overall, prices are very similar to this time last year and, like then, they aren’t letting that deter them from taking summer road trips.” 

Methodology:  AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Markit, a London-based business information provider. For the purposes of this forecast, the Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Thursday, May 23 to Monday, May 27. In cooperation with AAA, IHS Markit developed a unique methodology to forecast actual domestic travel volumes, using macroeconomic drivers such as employment; output; household net worth; asset prices including stock indices; interest rates; housing market indicators and variables related to travel and tourism, including prices of gasoline, airline travel and hotel stays. The complete AAA/IHS Markit 2019 Memorial Day holiday travel forecast is available here.

AAA in Michigan celebrated its 100^th Anniversary - A Century of Service in 2016 and has over 1.4 million members across the state. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG).  Connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America. ACG and its affiliates provide membership, insurance, financial services and travel offerings to over 9.8 million members across eleven states and two U.S. territories including Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; most of Illinois and Minnesota; and a portion of Indiana. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 59 million members in the United States and Canada and whose mission includes protecting and advancing freedom of mobility and improving traffic safety. Motorists can map a route, identify gas prices, find discounts, book a hotel, and access AAA roadside assistance with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile. Visit AAA on the Internet at AAA.com.

AAA offers the following tools to assist travelers

• AAA mobile app - Travelers can use the free app to map a route, find lowest gas prices, access exclusive member discounts, make travel arrangements, request AAA roadside assistance, find AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities and review nearly 59,000 AAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants.
• GasPrices.AAA.com - Find average national, state and local gas prices; research top gas price trends, and use the "Gas Cost Calculator" to determine how much you can expect to spend on gasoline during your next road trip.
• AAA.com/Travel - Book a hotel, flight, rental car, or cruise. Find travel ideas, hot cruise and land deals, review top destinations, purchase discounted attraction tickets, and find TripTik, tour books and Maps.
• AAA.com/TravelerReviews - View ratings and see what other travelers said about cruises and tour vacations they booked through AAA.
• AAA.com/Diamonds - Search over 59,000 AAA Approved and Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants. AAA is the only rating system that uses full-time, professionally trained evaluators to inspect each property on an annual basis. Every AAA Approved establishment offers the assurance of acceptable cleanliness, comfort and hospitality, and ratings of One to Five Diamonds help travelers find the right match for amenities and services.

Nearly 43 million Americans will start their summers on a high note with a Memorial Day weekend getaway. This long holiday weekend, marking the unofficial start of summer vacation season, will see the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday travel volumes dating back to 2000, trailing only the bar set in 2005. Overall, an additional 1.5 million more people will take to the nation’s roads, rails and runways compared with last year, a 3.6% increase.

Despite a rising national gas price average that is inching closer to the $3 per gallon mark, the vast majority of holiday travelers will drive to their destinations. For these motorists, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects travel delays on major roads could be more than three times longer than normal during evening commutes.

“Americans are eagerly anticipating the start of summer, and expensive gas prices won’t keep them home this Memorial Day weekend,” said Paula Twidale, vice president, AAA Travel. “Consumer spending remains strong, helped by solid job and income growth. Families continue to prioritize spending their disposable incomes on travel, and near-record numbers of them are looking forward to doing just that for Memorial Day.”