Christmas-New Year's Travelers Expected to Surge with Two 3-Day Weekends at Year's End, Says Auto Club.

LOS ANGELES -- More than 8.6 million California residents - 5.4 million from Southern California - will take advantage of two possible three-day weekends at the end of this year to make holiday getaways, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

This year's Christmas-New Year's travel volume is expected to be 4.4 percent higher overall than last year both statewide and locally. Eighty percent of Southern California travelers, or nearly 4.3 million people, are expected to drive to their holiday destinations, compared to 4.08 million holiday motorists last year. More than 795,000 Southlanders will take a holiday plane trip this year, while almost 274,000 will take a cruise, bus or train trip.

"Since many businesses are giving their employees the next two Fridays as holidays, we expect people will be seizing those additional opportunities to take 'mini-trips' if they can't take a full vacation over the Christmas-New Year's holiday," said Auto Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp.

Statewide, nearly 6.9 million motorists will take holiday driving trips of 50 miles or more, while nearly 1.3 million will fly and nearly 440,000 will take another mode of travel. Across the country, 62.7 million Americans are projected to take holiday trips - a 3 percent increase from last year.

Many travelers are using the Christmas-New Year's holiday season to take trips to distant destinations. The top air destinations for Southern Californians, according to a survey of AAA Travel agents, are:

--1) Hawaii

--2) Cancun

--3) Colorado

The most popular driving destinations for Southern California travelers are expected to be:

--1) Las Vegas 

--2) California's Central Coast (Santa Barbara to Monterey)

--3) San Diego 

Gas prices remain 45 to 50 cents higher on average than a year ago, although that margin continues to shrink with rapid price reductions toward the $2 mark. Oil analysts expect that trend to continue through the holiday season as long as supplies continue to be plentiful.

With the increased number of leisure travelers on the road in the next two weeks heading on long holiday trips, the Auto Club is warning motorists to take safety precautions.

"Drowsy driving is a big danger for long-distance travelers," Thorp said. "Drivers should make sure they get at least six hours' sleep before getting on the road. If you find yourself nodding off, ask someone else to drive or pull over to a safe, lighted area for a nap. And every couple of hours, get out of the car to stretch. That will reduce fatigue."

With increased celebrating around the holidays, drunk driving is a concern for everyone on the road. Thorp said motorists who see a potentially drunk driver should take care to stay an extra-long distance behind that car to avoid an accident, and if it is safe, use a cell phone to report the driver to law enforcement.

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.com.