Higher gas prices face holiday travelers

Tennesseans are expected to travel less this Thanksgiving holiday than they did a year ago, but more Virginians will hit the road, area AAA officials project.

And with all those travelers out and about, local public safety agencies are urging them to be careful, wear seat belts and not drink and drive.

“We’re going to be extremely vigilant about stopping drivers we suspect to be under the influence,” Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Lt. B.J. Richardson said Tuesday.

Like most law-enforcement agencies, Richardson said, the sheriff’s office will be on high alert for spotting erratic drivers during the holiday weekend.

AAA’s East Tennessee office estimates that 1.1 million Tennessee residents will travel 50 miles or more within the state over this holiday weekend – an 8 percent decrease from Thanksgiving 2008. The office suggests that Tennessee’s unemployment rate is a major factor for the expected decrease.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Tennessee’s unemployment rate in October was 10.5 percent.

“We’re projecting a drop for Thanksgiving travel in Tennessee, while across the nation it’ll likely be up slightly from last year,” Stephanie Milani, a AAA East Tennessee spokeswoman, said Tuesday.

In Virginia, the expectation is a 3 percent increase in holiday travelers this year, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Windy VanCuren said. AAA estimates that 1.5 million Virginians will travel between today and Sunday.

“In addition to that 3 percent increase, we’re also expecting a 3 percent rise in the number of Virginians who will drive,” VanCuren said Tuesday.

She said 84 percent of Virginia’s holiday travelers will drive.

Whether in Tennessee or Virginia, area residents will see dramatically higher gas prices than a year ago. In both cities of Bristol, a gallon of gas now averages $2.52, up 79 cents from November 2008, Milani said.

In Kingsport, the average gallon costs $2.50, a 74-cent increase from a year ago, while in Johnson City, it’s $2.51, a jump of 76 cents.

In other holiday-related news:

* Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles urges drivers to limit distractions, maintain their cool and allow for extra time while traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday, which it calls one of the deadliest periods on state roads.

The department reported that an average of 2.4 people died each day from accidents on Virginia roads during the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
By comparison, there were 1.25 deaths during the New Year’s Day 2008 holiday period – and 1.75 fatalities during Labor Day weekend last year.

Virginia DMV spokeswoman Melanie Stokes said Thanksgiving was an especially deadly holiday because it usually draws the most motorists.

“There’s more traffic on the road and more people in vehicles, so the odds of something dangerous happening are much greater,” Stokes said Tuesday. 

* AAA’s Mid-Atlantic office advises holiday shoppers to be restrained and calm while shopping on “Black Friday” – particularly when they chase parking spots in malls and other high-traffic areas.

Among the office’s words of advice: Always use headlights when entering parking garages; choose side entrances to stores whenever possible; and constantly look out for small children.

Or they advise residents to simply wait to shop until Monday, Nov. 30 – when countless retailers will hold massive online sales and promotions.

* East Tennessee State University Public Safety Officer Jerry Hughes counsels drivers to use seat belts around the ETSU area, and everywhere else, during Thanksgiving.

“With all the warnings there have been about the importance of wearing seat belts, just look around you on the road and see how many drivers still aren’t wearing them,” Hughes said Tuesday. “It’s still a problem in Tennessee, especially in rural areas and with people driving bigger vehicles, like SUVs.”

Hughes said most drivers have accidents within a mile of their homes, making it critical to immediately use seat belts when entering vehicles.

“It has to become an instinctive habit, just like reaching for your keys,” Hughes said.

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