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Of those 72.2 million travelers in the United States, 71 million of those will be driving to their destination, said Kara Hitchens, public affairs manager for AAA.

�����Ƶ�We�����Ƶ�ve been seeing record-breaking travel numbers consistently over the past year and the July 4th holiday is no exception,�����Ƶ� Jim Garrity, director of public affairs for AAA East Central, said in the release.

AAA attributes the increase in travel to the popularity of summer for family and friend vacations.

Since driving is the preferred mode for holiday travelers, Hitchens said AAA recommends motorists get their vehicles checked out, including batteries, tires and fluid levels, before departing.

A summer roadside emergency kit also should include water for everyone in the vehicle, including pets; jumper cables; a first aid kit; and a way to charge devices to call for help, she recommended.

AAA says the best times to start traveling will be in the mornings when roads are least congested, with afternoon hours being the most congested. AAA also said they predict the two busiest days to be July 2 and July 6.

AAA also said gas prices are the lowest they�����Ƶ�ve been since 2021, with a 22-cent decrease in gas prices compared to last year due to the price of crude oil remaining low.

Matt Bruning, press secretary for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said to expect �����Ƶ�very busy roads across the state of Ohio�����Ƶ� this week and next. While ODOT will try to reduce the size of its construction sites ahead of the holiday, some locations will still see work zones, such as the Interstate 70 corridor through Columbus, I-70 in Zanesville, I-75 in Dayton and Cincinnati and in the Akron area.

Motorists can use to see live traffic cameras.

Sgt. Brice Nihiser with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said increased traffic is inevitable, but speeding or taking aggressive actions on the road won�����Ƶ�t get drivers further ahead than anyone else, but will put themselves and others in danger.

�����Ƶ�There�����Ƶ�s going to be more people on the road trying to get to their destinations �����Ƶ� we�����Ƶ�re just urging everyone, make sure you�����Ƶ�re driving sober, make sure you�����Ƶ�re wearing your seatbelt, avoid distractions in your vehicle,�����Ƶ� Nihiser said. �����Ƶ�Doing those simple things will make everybody get to their destiantion safely.�����Ƶ�

Alongside car travel, AAA also expects record-breaking numbers for air travel, with a projected 5.84 million travelers expected to travel by air for Independence Day.

�����Ƶide from travel by air and car, AAA�����Ƶ�s forecast also projects that travel by other modes of transportation, including bus, train and cruise, to grow by 7.4% over last year with 4.78 million travelers.