Fourth Of July Travel: Virginia Drunk Driver Crackdowns, Gas Prices And More

MCLEAN, VA—Gas prices are at a 12-year low, so Virginians are expected to flood the state's highways with trips to parks, beaches and fireworks shows to celebrate the Fourth of July in the busiest Independence Day on record.

And police forces will have extra officers out looking for drunk drivers and other violations since people have more time to celebrate with many private companies closed on July 3 to extend the weekend.

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Crowded Highways Likely

This year's Independence Day weekend travel volume in the DC area is expected to not only see the strongest growth since the end of the recession in 2009, but it should the busiest on record for the holiday, says AAA Mid-Atlantic. The agency estimates over 1 million will travel between June 30 and July 4, a 3.4 percent increase from a year ago, and about a 50 percent rise from the holiday’s post-recession low seen in 2009.

“If you live in the Washington Metro area, chances are you will have to drive through parts of Maryland or Virginia to reach your holiday destinations, and the total numbers of travelers and the travel volumes across the three neighboring jurisdictions are absolutely mind-boggling,” said John B. Townsend II, manager of public affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “All told, 3.2 million persons from the Washington, D.C. metro area, Maryland and Virginia combined will travel for the Fourth of July.

Road Safety

With high travel expected and a spike in fatal crashes, Virginia State Police are increasing patrols on roads during the Fourth of July weekend.

Virginia State Police say there have been more fatal crashes than at this time in 2016. Just over the weekend, 15 fatal crashes happened, including the death of a beloved Vienna teacher and football coach.

“Halfway through 2017, there have already been 20 more traffic deaths compared to this date in 2016,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Let’s try to turn this year around and work towards saving lives, beginning with this July Fourth weekend. Traffic crashes and deaths are prevented when drivers and passengers simply follow the rules of the road – this includes never driving impaired, avoiding distractions while driving and always wearing a seatbelt.”

Last Fourth of July, State Police arrested 106 drunk drivers and cited 9,487 speeding drivers, reckless drivers, 821 individuals not wearing seatbelts and 360 motorists for child safety seat violations during the four-day holiday. In 2016, there were eight fatalities during the four-day period.

Know Before You Hit the Road

Check traffic conditions before you hit the road:

• See VDOT's Memorial Day weekend travel trends map to anticipate the best times to travel.
• Visit 511 Virginia for real-time information about traffic, congestion and accidents or download the free mobile VDOT 511 app.
• Call 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623) 24 hours a day.
• Find HOV schedules and tolls on VDOT's website.
• Follow VDOT on Twitter and Facebook.
• Ease your travel with E-ZPass. Visit ezpassva.com to enroll online and for a list of E-ZPass retail locations.
• Use the Express Lanes mobile app to check real-time toll prices and traffic cameras or follow
• Follow the Express Lanes on Twitter @VAExpressLanes for updates

• Find rest stops along interstate roads.
• If you're heading to Maryland beaches, click here.

We will update this story with additional travel information from the Virginia Department of Transportation when it is released.

Beach, Water Quality Conditions

If you want to check the water quality conditions for Virginia beaches, the Virginia Department of Health website can help. The website lists beaches open to swimming or under advisory.

Gas Prices

Unlike the Memorial Day weekend when drivers paid higher gas prices than the previous year’s holiday, residents hitting the road for the Fourth of July will likely find prices at the pump that are lower than the 2016 holiday. Today's DC area average price at the pump is $$2.45, reflecting a 10-cent drop compared to last year. Nationwide, the average price per gallon is $2.25.

AAA has online tools to check local prices and help drivers save on fuel:

• Fuel Price Finder: locates the lowest fuel price in your area.
• Fuel Cost Calculator: helps budget travel expenses.

Image via Famartin/Wikimedia Commons, used under Creative Commons