AAA says regional travel this weekend is expected to be up 3.3% over last year's Labor Day holiday. The auto club predicts that with gas prices lower than they were a year ago, some 1.2 million Ohioans are hittng the road.
AAA says that, nationally, vacationers won't go as far as they did last year, but Ohioans will still be putting in some travel time. The popular spots this year, according to book agents are Gatlinberg and Hilton Head, and in Ohio, Hocking Hills and Newport Aquarium.
But whatever the distance you're traveling, Cindy Antrican with AAA says if you're ready to go, make sure your care is too.
"We know last year over the Labor Day weekend period in 2012, AAA roadside rescue teams responded to more than 1300 emergency road service calls just in the Miami Valley area, and that included more than 250 calls for battery problems. Those are preventable."
Vehicle fluid levels, tires, belts and hoses are worth checking before you hit the road. And Antrican says travelers can cut down even further on the unexpected by downloading AAA's new phone app that tells them if there's a traffic jam or construction ahead, how far to the next rest stop, what restaurants, hotels and gas prices are located at each exit.
Safety is a big concern for law enforcement this weekend as well. With 1.2 million travelers, most of them leaving today, the Ohio Highway patrol says statewide, they'll have a massive crackdown underway, looking for impaired drivers.
