The Best and Worst Times To Drive Over the July 4th Weekend

If a road trip is on your agenda over the July 4th holiday, you’ll hardly be alone.

As TravelPulse recently reported, a new record is expected to be set this year for the number of Americans traveling by car, according to AAA. A whopping 43.2 million people will drive to their destinations, which amounts to an increase of 2.4 percent over 2022 and 4 percent more than 2019.

The soaring number of road trippers may be due at least in part to gas prices, which are well below what they were one year ago.

While other modes of transportation are also expected to be busy over the upcoming July 4th holiday, car travelers outweigh every other option by far. About 85.2 percent of travelers will be driving to their destination over the holiday, compared to just 8.2 percent that will be flying and a mere 6.6 percent using “other” transportation options.

All of which means, if you’re hitting the road over the holiday, you’ll need to be strategic and plan your trip carefully.

INRIX, which works with AAA on holiday travel projections, said roads are likely to be busiest on Friday, with average travel times almost 30 percent higher than usual. The transportation data and insights provider also predicts that drivers in major metropolitan areas like Washington, D.C., Boston, and Seattle will face the worst traffic.

“With record-breaking travelers expected on the road this holiday weekend, drivers should prepare for above-average delays to their favorite destinations,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a statement.

Sunday and Monday, on the other hand, are likely to see minimal traffic, according to INRIX.

Read on for a closer look at the best and worst times to be on the road over the holiday.

Holiday Driving Guide
Best times to drive:

Thursday, June 29: Before noon
Friday, June 30: Before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 1: Before noon
Tuesday, July 4: Before 11 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Wednesday, July 5: Before 2 p.m.

Worst times to drive:

Thursday, June 29: Between 4 and 6 p.m.
Friday, June 30: Between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Saturday, July 1: 1 p.m.
Tuesday, July 4: Between noon and 3 p.m.
Wednesday, July 5: Between 3 and 6 p.m.