NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Nearly 50 million people are expected to hit the road for the holiday, but some in South Florida said they will be skipping the expensive ride.
AAA predicts record road trip numbers, with about 42 million deciding to drive this year.
But as the national average price for a gallon of gas hovers near $5, drivers are feeling the pain at the pump.
“It’s too high, it’s too high,” said a woman pumping gas.
Some local residents who spoke with 7News on Friday said they decided not to go anywhere or do anything extravagant to celebrate the holiday.
Overall, these people said, they have started driving less or are carpooling places.
“First time nobody’s doing it,” said James Giffen.
Giffen said everything is just too expensive. When asked what are his plans for the holiday, he replied, “Watch TV, get it over with.”
“I told everyone, ‘Bring a plate,'” said a woman. “I’m not going to be a big baller this weekend.”
For Floridians who decided to hit the road, the average price of gas in Miami-Dade is $4.68. It’s only a penny less in Broward County.
Those two counties’ averages are still lower than the national average, which currently sits at $4.84.
AAA reported gas prices have slowly dropped in the past week.
“These road trippers this holiday season are going to be making shorter trips,” said an AAA representative. “Three quarters of our survey responded that high gas prices are having an impact. They are also thinking bringing friends along to help cover the cost of gas.”
Florida’s gas price in 2021 was only $3.
AAA has activated a ‘Tow to Go’ program which provides safe transportation for impaired drivers and their vehicles. For more information, click here.
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