Record number of holiday travelers expected

Record number of holiday travelers expected

The number of year-end holiday travelers will top 100 million for the first time on record, says the American Automobile Association. Nearly one in three Americans will take a trip, with 100.5 million expected to go 50 miles or more from home. That number represents a 1.4 percent increase over last year and the seventh consecutive year of year-end holiday travel growth.

Part of the reason, of course, is low gas prices, which are well below last yearês levels. More than 90 percent of travelers will drive to their holiday destinations. Lower unemployment and rising incomes will also boost holiday travel.

But thereês a downside: The National Safety Council estimates 307 people will be killed and 37,200 injured in traffic crashes during the three-day Christmas period the NSCês highest estimate since 2009. The Council says that 405 lives could be saved if everyone wore seat belts over Christmas and New Yearês.