Cars will roll and boats will sail in large numbers this Fourth of July holiday weekend in Arkansas, according to state officials.
Fourth of July, like Memorial Day, is a road trip-heavy holiday where people are choosing to drive to their destinations, whereas for Thanksgiving and year-end holidays there are typically more flights to destinations, said Nick Chabarria, Public Affairs Senior Specialist for AAA. The holiday period, he said, is June 28 to July 6.
Travel trends are projected to surpass last year’s record in the U.S., with 72.2 million people traveling at least 50 miles from home in the U.S., AAA reports. This is 1.7 million more travelers than last year and 7 million more than 2019 pre-pandemic, AAA reports.
“The fact that we’re seeing yet another potential record-setting amount of travelers for this Fourth of July, that really is continuing a trend that we’ve been seeing of travel increasing year-over-year again since coming out of the pandemic mid-to-late 2021,” Chabarria said.
U.S. air travel is projected to set a new record from last Independence Day by a 1.4% increase at 5.84 million traveling by plane.
The West South Central Region that includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas are projected to have 6.8 million travelers total, with around 5.8 million travelling by automobile.
Gas prices as of Tuesday are $2.80 which is 5.3 cents less than last Tuesday and 25.2 cents less than this time last year, according to AAA Fuel Prices.
“Barring any major disruptions to oil production … there are no indicators that gas will jump significantly as we head closer to the holiday,” Chabarria said.
The best times to travel would be first thing in the morning or later at night, Chabarria said.
“For folks taking road trips, use the time before your travel to make sure your vehicle is road-trip ready,” Chabarria said. “Keeping up with regular maintenance on your vehicle is probably going to make sure you avoid any potential, unnecessary breakdowns or unwanted breakdowns but it also is going to help you make sure your vehicle is running as efficient as possible to maximize your miles per gallon and potentially save on some fuel costs.”
There will be no active construction or lane closures from July 3 to July 6, said Ellen Coulter, media communications manager for Arkansas Department of Transportation.
Coulter recommends checking IDriveArkansas for the latest traffic conditions.
“You never know what can happen during busy travel periods, and IDriveArkansas is updated in real time,” Coulter said.
Arkansas State Police will have as many officers on patrol as possible to be visible and monitor for DWI drivers as well as reckless drivers, said Capt. Brad Lann of Arkansas State Police.
On Tuesday, AAA, Arkansas Department of Transportation, Arkansas State Police and Arkansas Highway Safety Office held a news conference about the “move over” law, mandating that drivers give emergency vehicles plenty of room on roadways.
“Anything with a red, blue, green, yellow or white light flashing, you’re required to move over to the furthest lane possible,” Lann said.
That means if there’s someone on the right side of the road, move over to the furthest left lane, said Lann.
In December 2019, an East End Towing tow truck operator, William West, was struck on the side of the interstate by a driver using his cell phone.
“It was a really scary situation,” West said. “He hit the back of my truck. Fortunately, I didn’t sustain any serious injuries and was able to go back to work in a few days.”
West urges people to pay attention, slow down and move over for flashing lights.
BOATING SAFETY
The July Fourth weekend is typically one of the busiest weekends for recreational boating across the state, said Sydney Grant, boating law administrator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
“We have boats coming in from Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, all the surrounding states,” Grant said. “We have pretty clear water so we usually have a lot of incoming boats, as well as more of our resident boaters out.”
Always wear a life jacket while out on the water, Grant said.
“If something happens and it causes you to go overboard … if you didn’t have that life jacket on and it was still on the boat, it can’t really help you,” Grant said.
Grant also recommends everyone — even experienced boaters — take a boater’s education course. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1986 is required to take a boaters safety course in Arkansas to operate a boat.
The No. 1 cause of accidents almost every year is operator inattention. “Distracted driving is illegal in a car, it’s illegal on a boat too,” Grant said.
Alcohol and boating doesn’t mix, Grant said.
“Boating under the influence carries the same weight in penalties as driving under the influence in a car,” she said.
A large number of boating officers will be on state waterways because it is also Operation Dry Water weekend, a heightened awareness enforcement campaign to look out for boating under the influence, Grant said.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office will have its Lake Patrol Division on patrol on what is expected to be a busy Fourth of July weekend on Beaver Lake.
“In addition to the usually holiday traffic, our deputies will be present and actively patrolling during all scheduled fireworks events to ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday for everyone on the water,” said Lt. Shannon Jenkins, public information officer at the sheriff’s office.
“Our primary goal is to maintain a visible presence and promote safety for all lake-goers. This weekend typically sees a significant increase in traffic on the water,” Jenkins said. “We encourage everyone to be courteous and mindful of others whether they’re kayaking, swimming, boating, tubing or skiing.”
Jenkins also reminded boaters it is illegal to operate a boat under the influence of alcohol.
AIRLINE TRAVEL
According to the Transportation Security Administration, there is an expected 8% increase in passengers departing from Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field during the July Fourth travel period compared to last year.
An estimated 42,437 passengers are projected to be screened at the airport between June 26 and July 5, according to TSA.
Friday June 27 was the busiest day with 4,598 departing passengers, according to TSA.
Airlines recommend arriving two hours before departure and those who do not have a REAL ID-compliant form of identification should allow extra time for identity verification and additional screening, according to TSA.
Olivia Tyler, spokeswoman at for Northwest Arkansas National Airport in Highfill, said this year’s Independence Day weekend is expected to be one of the busiest travel periods of summer.
“At XNA, we anticipate steady passenger traffic beginning Wednesday and continuing through Sunday,” Tyler said Monday afternoon.
Sunday is projected to the busiest day at airports across the nation as travelers return from the long holiday weekend, she added.
“We encourage passengers to arrive at least two hours before departure and to check with their airline for any schedule updates before heading to the airport,” Tyler said.
Information for this article was contributed by Ron Wood of the NWA Democrat-Gazette.
