The worst times to travel over July 4th weekend revealed

‘Almost every metro area that we looked at, we see increases,” says traffic analyst about 4 July holiday weekend

Everyone wanting to head out for the Independence Day weekend means lot of traffic on the roads. (Getty Images)

If you are planning on getting out of town for the 4 July holiday, know that you are not alone – a record number of cars are expected to be hitting the highway.

It is estimated that more than 47.7 million people will travel between 1 July and 5 July for Independence Day.

Ninety-one per cent are expected to travel by car, which will make it the second-most travel-heavy holiday on record. Traffic analysts have said there will be a 15 per cent spike over normal times. The federal holiday falls on Monday 5 July as 4 July is on Sunday.

Bob Pischue from INRIX said to USA Today that at “almost every metro area that we looked at, we see  increases” on the road during the summer celebration.

Going via road is expected to be more popular because people are avoiding other methods of transportation, such as planes, amid the coronavirus pandemic and related restrictions.

So when is the most opportune time to travel for the holiday?.

“Friday’s the largest spike, no surprise,” Mr Pischue said, specifying that the afternoon is the worst time to go, ranging from 1pm to 3pm in some locations and in other places, the worst time is 3pm to 5pm.

The ongoing heatwave in many parts of the US may also impact travel plans. Mr Pischue warned that Monday might contain a slog in traffic.

INRIX broke down when the best times to go is, depending on what day you want to travel.

On Thursday, they suggest the worst time is between 3pm and 5pm but the best time is after 7pm.

On Friday, the least favourable time to go is between 4pm and 5pm, and instead suggest going in the morning, before 12pm.

On Saturday, do not start driving between 11am, and plan to leave at 2 pm.

On Sunday, they do not predict much traffic.

On Monday, they recommend not starting your journey home between 4pm to 5pm and think you should go before 1 pm.