Preparing to hit the I-5 to Grandma’s house? You’ll want to look at this data released by Waze.
The navigation app has released the best and worst travel times for the next week at Conde Nast Traveler.
“AAA predicts that the number of year-end holiday travelers ‘will top 100 million for the first time on record,’ with about 90 percent of Americans driving to and from their holiday destinations this year,” reports Conde Nast Traveler.
“That’s about 91.3 million cars on the road (eek); coupled with unpredictable weather and panicked outings to get last-minute gifts, driving anywhere will be a chore.”
While traffic in Seattle is always hellish, here are some tips to hopefully avoid some of those holiday-related headaches. Remember, these tips from Waze are for avoiding traffic congestion overall in the U.S., not just the Seattle area:
- The best day to travel is Christmas Day.
- The busiest day is projected to be Wednesday, Dec. 23. If you must travel then, leave early. The worst travel time that day will be from 3-6 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 24 will also be terrible. Avoid that if you can.
- Sunday, Dec. 27, will also be awful as most people will be returning that day to make it to work on Monday. Waze predicts an “88 percent increase in traffic jams, a 14 percent uptick in reported accidents, and a 32 percent hike in police alerts.” They suggest leaving Monday after noon if you can.
Traveling over the Cascades or other wintry passes? Check the Washington Department of Transportation’s page for winter travel tips. Don’t dare get caught out there without chains, blankets, water, food and other winter supplies to survive being stuck for a bit.
King 5 gives a great report on the Cascades below, which have been getting a lot of snow — great for skiing, bad for driving — telling folks that it’s best to wait until tomorrow to try to make that drive.
