AUSTIN, Texas – It’s expected to be a record-breaking travel week for the Thanksgiving weekend, both in here Texas and across the United States

Daniel Armbruster with AAA Texas joins FOX 7 Austin’s John Krinjak to talk about what Texans need to know if they’re hitting the roads or taking to the skies.

JOHN KRINJAK: I understand you’re expecting a record number of Texans to travel this Thanksgiving. What exactly are we looking at?

DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: Yes, if you look at 5.7 million Texans — that’s the most we’ve ever counted — taking a trip 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving. So you know, AAA expects very busy roads, very busy airports. And sure enough, it will be a Thanksgiving for the record books.

JOHN KRINJAK: If you drive a car, what do you expect? The busiest times, the busiest roads. Of course I-35 will be crazy, but you know, the busiest days and times and maybe when might be best to travel.

DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: Yes, the easiest day for travel will be Thanksgiving Day, which is pretty typical now. Usually it was the Wednesday before it was the busiest day for travel. However, we predict that Tuesday will actually be the busiest day for road trips this year, although Wednesday is expected to be very busy. Also coming back Sunday afternoon and evening will be busy. Monday afternoon will be busy too as you will have holiday commuters coming home as well as those coming home from work.

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JOHN KRINJAK: How are gas prices looking and how do you expect that to affect the travel picture this year?

DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: These are the lowest gas prices we’ll have seen in Texas since the Thanksgiving pandemic. And it’s really encouraging for those who want to take a road trip. That certainly doesn’t stop many from taking a road trip this year. Gas prices have been below $3 a gallon here in Texas for months, and we expect it to stay that way until Thanksgiving.

JOHN KRINJAK: And if you’re heading to the airport, obviously ABIA is expected to be very busy. What would you recommend for travelers who might be flying somewhere in the next week or so?

DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: More than 350,000 Texans will fly to their Thanksgiving destination. That’s the highest number ever since Triple A began forecasting trips for Thanksgiving. And that will mean the airports will be busy starting Sunday. You know, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, all those days at the airport will be very busy. Get there at least two hours in advance. We know that international travel will also be very popular this Thanksgiving. So if you have an international flight, you want to get there at least three hours before your time.

JOHN KRINJAK: And what should people think about before walking out the door to travel?

DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: Well, number one, make sure your vehicle is ready for the road trip. We will save more than 29,000 motorists this Thanksgiving here in Texas, AAA is coming. And the main reasons we saw last Thanksgiving: flat tires and dead batteries. We want to make sure you have good tires, that they’re healthy, that they have the right amount of air pressure, the right amount of tread. And just make sure that if your batteries are over three years old, you have a trusted mechanic take a look at your battery, test it and make sure it’s still in good shape.

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JOHN KRINJAK: Given the amount of people expected to travel on the roads, how important are these reminders not to drive impaired, especially on weekends?

DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: Yes, it is always important to never drive while impaired, but we do see an increase over the weekends in drunk driving and drunk driving due to parties and parties and whatnot. 25% of those killed on Texas roads are killed by a drunk driver. So we’re asking everyone if you’re going to celebrate with alcohol, have a plan this holiday season.

JOHN KRINJAK: Okay. Daniel Armbruster with AAA Texas. Daniel, thanks as always for joining us. We appreciate it.

DANIEL ARMBRUSTER Thank you, John. Have a pleasant and safe holiday.

JOHN KRINJAK: Happy Thanksgiving to you.