Memorial Day driving to drop slightly – AAA

Motorist group sees first decrease in holiday travel since 2002, with Americans at a ‘travel tipping point.’

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — For the first time since just after the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans plan to drive less on Memorial Day weekend than they did the year before, with high gasoline prices in a weak economy a prime reason, according to a AAA study released Thursday.

The number of Americans traveling 50 or more miles from home this holiday weekend will decrease by 0.9% to 37.87 million, the motorist group said in a statement. That will mark the first decrease in Memorial Day driving since 2002, when the nation was recovering from the shock of the attacks on New York and Washington.

More than 12% of the U.S. population will be celebrating the Memorial Day weekend away from home, AAA said. Of those traveling, AAA said 31.7 million people, or 83%, are expected to drive. That’s 1% fewer than the 32 million Memorial Day drivers a year ago. And airline travel is expected to decrease 0.5%.

“With Americans working paycheck to paycheck, high energy costs are having an effect,” said AAA vice president Mark Brown in a press conference. “Americans are finding themselves at a travel tipping point.”

CNN