News 12 at 6 o'clock--July 2, 2009

AUGUSTA--Right about now, millions of three day weekends are starting and for many of you, that holiday weekend will include some travel. But people driving may not have as much company on the road as in years past.

The Fourth of July is a big travel time, especially when it falls on a weekend like it does this year. But whether it's gas prices, the bad economy or something else, some say the roads will be a bit emptier this year.

For many, this holiday weekend will consist of 3 days. But for a lucky few, it actually will last for 4 days.

"We wanted to get out before the 4th of July. We're trying to beat the crowds," one driver said.

Beating traffic is a good strategy. But AAA says there may not be as much of a need this year.

The travel organization expects 10's of millions of people to be on the roads over the weekend. But they say that number will be nearly 800 thousand smaller than last year.

Which isn't a big surprise for some drivers

"Quite a few people that decided not to take vacation and stay home or closer to home," another driver said.

So what are the reasons? Gas prices had been going up for nearly 2 months, the economy isn't in the greatest shape and people are worried about losing their jobs.

AAA says probably a combination of those reasons and a few others are contributing. Whatever it is, they say, people may just be doing more staycations than vacations.

But at least one driver says he'll believe it when he sees it.
"With the gas prices going down, who knows? Last year when they were so high, I didn't notice much of a difference in traffic."

One other thing to note, AAA says airfare is down a lot from last year. Around 16 percent to be exact, so if you're thinking about flying this weekend or another one, now may be a good time to buy.