Auto Club: Slightly Fewer Holiday Drivers Expected on the Road This Weekend.News Editors/Business Editors/Travel Writers LOS LOS Length of stay, see there ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2003 More than 4.8 million Californians -- 2.99 million of them from Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, -- are expected to take Memorial Day weekend trips this year, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California was founded December 13, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. . That's a drop of nearly 1 percent compared with the 2002 holiday weekend. In 2002, 4.85 million Californians and 3 million Southern Californians traveled at least 50 miles to holiday destinations over the Memorial Day weekend. "Even though we expect travel to be slightly lighter this year, it appears that many people who have been putting off vacation trips in the last few months are now starting to take them," said Carol Thorp, Auto Club spokesperson. "That's an encouraging sign for this holiday and for summer travel." Despite the slight decrease in California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). travelers, AAA AAA: see American Automobile Association. (Triple A) A common single-cell battery used in a myriad of electronic devices of all variety. Like its double A (AA) cousin, it provides 1.5 volts of DC power. When used in series, the voltage is multiplied. nationally is predicting one of the most-traveled Memorial Day weekends in the last 10 years. AAA expects that national Memorial Day travel will increase 0.1 percent from last year, with 35 million Americans expected to take holiday trips. Driving-distance destinations are among the most popular for California residents, as is usual during three-day holidays. More than 80 percent of those traveling, or 3.86 million Californians and 2.4 million Southern Californians, will be driving to their getaways this holiday weekend. That's about 0.9 percent less than those who took driving vacations last year at this time. According to a AAA Travel survey of agents, the most popular getaways for Auto Club members are: 1) Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. 2) Grand Canyon Grand Canyon, great gorge of the Colorado River, one of the natural wonders of the world; c.1 mi (1.6 km) deep, from 4 to 18 mi (6.4–29 km) wide, and 217 mi (349 km) long, NW Ariz. 3) San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. 4) Anaheim (Disney resort) 5) Santa Barbara/Central Coast Holiday drivers will pay gas prices that are about 25 cents higher than they were a year ago at this time, although they have been steadily declining in the last two months. California's average gas price as of midnight May 20 is $1.869, compared with $2.098 a month ago and $1.618 a year ago. Statewide, more than 702,000 state residents, or 14.6 percent of travelers, are expected to fly to their holiday destinations -- a 0.8 percent drop compared with last year's air travel. In Southern California, about 437,000 are expected to fly, also a 0.8 percent drop. Research for Memorial Day travel is based on a national telephone survey of 1,300 adults by the Travel Industry Association of America, which conducts special research for AAA. The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by roadside assistance, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services and highway and transportation safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com. |
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