Police beefing up patrols for holiday weekend

Cumberland Times-News, Md.
·2 min read

Jun. 30—CUMBERLAND — Maryland State Police will beef up enforcement efforts through the Fourth of July as a record number of travelers are expected to take to the nation's highways.

AAA projects 50.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this weekend, which would be a record for the holiday. Domestic travel over the long weekend will increase by 2.1 million people compared to 2022. This year's projection surpasses the previous July 4 weekend record set in 2019 of 49 million travelers.

"We've never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend," said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. "What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer. Many of them heeded our advice and booked early, another sign of strong travel demand."

This weekend is expected to set a new record for the number of Americans traveling by car for the holiday. AAA expects 43.2 million people will drive to their destinations, an increase of 2.4% over 2022 and 4% higher than 2019. This summer, gas prices are well below what they were one year ago. The national average for a gallon of regular was $4.80 on July 4 last year. Gas prices have remained steady the past couple of months, with the national average hovering around $3.50 to $3.60 a gallon.

State troopers from 23 barracks, including members of the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort Team, known as the SPIDRE team, will focus enforcement efforts on impaired driving, aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving and other violations.

"Maryland State Police, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to keeping our roads safe and keeping impaired drivers — whether it be from alcohol, cannabis or medications — off of our roads this holiday weekend," said Maj. Daniel Pickett, acting chief of the Field Operations Bureau.

Air travel is also expected to set a record. AAA projects 4.17 million Americans will fly to their destinations Independence Day weekend, an increase of 11.2% over 2022 and 6.6% over 2019. The previous July 4 weekend air travel record of 3.91 million travelers was set in 2019.