NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Shawn Steward from AAA Kansas told Hutch Post that Perry Como had it right in his Christmas song, across the Sunflower State, the traffic will be terrific.
"It has been a boon this year in terms of all kinds of travel," Steward said. "We're going to continue that throughout the holidays ending the year. We're projecting about one point two to one point three million Kansans will be traveling 50 miles or more from their home during the holidays. We're talking about Dec. 21 through Jan. 1 is our holiday period. Almost 92% of travelers will be driving to their holiday destination."
That's well over a million Kansans that will be on the roads between now and the end of the year.
"Gas prices, as they've been all year, have been very moderate," Steward said. "We're looking at $2.68 a gallon on the average in Kansas right now. That's about thirty five cents less than the national average. That puts us fifth lowest in the country. So generally, if you're traveling in state or to our south and southeast, that's where you'll be seeing the lowest gas prices in the country."
There will be a few calls to the side of the road for AAA, but the estimate isn't too bad, given the volume of drivers.
"Last year during the holiday period, AAA Kansas Emergency Roadside Service crews responded to about 4000 calls throughout the state during that holiday travel period," Steward said. "We anticipate about the same. A lot of the same reasons we talk about, tires and batteries are among our top reasons for for getting calls from members, so make sure that you're getting your car checked out, make sure it's ready for the road trip, because, you know, we're always out there to help. We'd prefer that you not spend part of your holiday stuck on the side of the road. Get your car checked out before you hit the road, if at all possible."
You can find the average gas prices anywhere you are headed by going to gasprices.aaa.com.