July Fourth Travelers Will Have Plenty of Company, Says Auto Club

    LOS ANGELES--June 27, 2001--More than 2.8 million Southern Californians and a total of 4.5 million Californians are expected to travel over the July Fourth holiday week, with many taking advantage of getaway bargains available because of the softening economy, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
    More than 90 percent of the Southern California travelers, or 2.58 million people, are projected to drive to holiday getaways this weekend, according to the Auto Club.
    "The good news is that since July Fourth falls on Wednesday, the holiday `rush hours' will be more spread out than on a three-day weekend," said Jeffrey Spring, Auto Club spokesperson. "Hopefully, that means we won't see as much traffic congestion coming into and out of town."
    A national survey conducted for AAA projects that July Fourth travel will increase slightly this year. About 36.6 million Americans plan to take a holiday this weekend compared with 36.3 million last year. Of those traveling this year, about 31.8 million of them are expected to drive to their destinations.
    A slowdown in business travel has increased the number of bargains available to leisure travelers, and gas prices continue to drop nationally and locally. The national average price for a gallon of gasoline is actually 7 cents lower this year than it was at the same time last year, but in California the average remains about 27 cents higher this year compared with last year.
    Locally, the most popular destinations for Southern Californians, according to an Auto Club survey of travel agents, are:

    1) Las Vegas
    2) Hawaii
    3) Central California coast beaches (between Ventura and Pismo
    Beach)
    4) Orlando, Fla.
    5) San Francisco

    The Auto Club advises motorists to plan their routes by calling the California Highway Information Number at 800/427-7623 for interstate and state route lane closures and highway closures. The information is updated hourly.
    Also, the Auto Club is working to reduce the number of tragic holiday drunken driving crashes by offering its free "Tipsy Tow" service to all Southern California motorists. Any Southern California driver can call 800/400-4AAA anytime between 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 3 and midnight Wednesday, July 4 to request a free tow and ride home of up to seven miles.