Stronger Economy Means More July 4 Drivers
— Is it a burst of patriotism, a sense of tradition or another sign that the economy is recovering?
Maybe it’s a combination of all three factors. Motor club AAA is projecting 41 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from their homes this upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend. That’s an increase of nearly two percent from last year’s figures, and a 14 percent jump compared with the recent Memorial Day holiday weekend.
And AAA says about 80 percent of those travelers will be on America’s roads. Nearly 35 million people are expected to move about by car during the July 4th weekend; the highest level for that holiday since the pre-recession year of 2007.
Stronger than what? Stronger than a 4% decrease in economic activity or a 2% decrease in durable goods orders, baby!
People are driving more in older cars rather than taking airplanes, and this is a sign of boom times to news media that are experiencing boom times of their own.
In related news, the improving economy has driven sales of ramen noodles up 46%.
Green shoots!