HERRIN, Ill. (KFVS) – According to AAA, nearly 113 million Americans will travel to the end of 2022.
But as we approach the Holiday weekend, some brutal winter weather is expected to hit the Heartland.
AAA is urging travelers to work around the winter precipitation that we’re expecting, but if you can’t here’s some tips to keep you safe on your travels.
“Whether you’re driving or flying keep an eye on the weather, know how it may impact you,” Nick Chabarria, AAA Missouri Spokesperson, said.
He tells me Thursday’s weather may be a disruption for travel in the Heartland.
“With the holiday being on the weekend here, people may have a little bit more flexibility than in years past. But regardless of the timing of it, our recommendation whenever we are getting winter precipitation is to avoid the roads at least while that precip is coming down, let the road crews, let the plows do their work and get those roads safe to travel on,” Chabarria said.
Keeping you vehicle safe while you hit the road is also important. And those at Plaza Tire in Marion offer these tips.
“Make sure that you check your tire pressure before your travel. Any low tire pressure can affect the way the tires going to grip, it’s going to affect the way the tire is going to handle. And you also don’t want to have a flat tire or have a tire emergency in the cold, in the snow on the side of the road,” said Tommy Perkins.
Perkins is the manager of Plaza Tire Marion.
Perkins also says to check the quality of your tires, coolant, along with your car’s battery.
“It’s a good idea to have it checked. A good battery tester can tell you generally if it’s coming up on the point where it’s going to fail. They’ll give you like a percentage and they’ll tell you okay this is the health reading, this is the start reading,” said Perkins.
And when you are getting ready to hit the roadway or airways, make sure you know what kind of weather is heading towards you.
“The main message for drivers right now is 1 to stay weather aware, make sure you tuning into to your local forecast, keeping an eye on the weather when you’re planning to travel. And 2 if you can stay home, if you can change your travel plans,” said Chabarria.
According to AAA, Friday and Saturday are expected to be the busiest travel days of the weekend.
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