The U.S. is a nation of drivers and summer is when we like to hit the road the most. In fact, 71% of people in a recent survey plan to take at least one road trip this season.
A recent Harris Poll shows that seven in 10 Americans will be hopping behind the wheel with family or friends for some warm weather fun. More immediately, AAA projects 41.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Independence Day, the most since 2007 and a 0.7% increase from the 41.6 million people who traveled last year.
Rising income, driven by a strong employment market, is prompting more Americans to take a holiday trip this year. Despite recent seasonal increases, gas prices remain well below year-ago levels, which has helped boost Americans’ disposable income. Nearly 85% of travelers will drive to their holiday destinations, which an increase of 0.7%.
“Although some consumers are using their recent savings on gas to pay down debt and save, overall, Americans are planning to travel in record numbers,” said Marshall Doney, AAA president. “Independence Day gas prices are expected to be the lowest in at least five years, a welcome sign for the 35.5 million people planning a holiday road trip.”
For those planning something for the holiday or later, they’re expected to travel an average of 1,300 miles, pollsters said, adding:
Millennials are more likely than any other generation to be planning at least one road trip this summer (79% vs. 64% Gen Xers, 68% Baby Boomers and 68% Matures).
Those who have kids in the house are more likely than those who don’t to head out on the road at least once as well (82% vs. 66%, respectively).
(Gas prices beginning to slide as driving season kicks off. For more, Click Here.)
Another reason the road trip is popular these days is that new vehicles provide a wealth of safety features that inspire a lot of confidence, in particular blind spot monitoring systems. Eighty-six percent of would-be travelers say they would feel safer on a road trip if their own vehicle had this and 83% say they’d feel safer knowing other vehicles on the road with them have this feature.
Other features that make drivers feel safer: lane departure warning systems (84% and 83%, respectively). Not surprisingly, adaptive cruise control (77% and 76%) outranked traditional (62% in their own vehicle vs. 56% in other drivers’ vehicles).
Knowing where your going helps with that secure feeling as well and a built-in navigation system is touted by 73% of adults as making them feel “more safe.” A smaller majority (62%) said the same when the feature is in another driver’s vehicle.
(Click Here for details the delayed Grand Cherokee and other Jeep news.)
When it comes to keeping the non-driver’s happy, there are plenty of options for making folks happy. More than half of Americans believe a summer road trip would be more enjoyable in a vehicle with the ability to act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot (55%) or with “infotainment” systems that can connect to smartphones (52%). More on internet connectivity in vehicles:
- Vehicles with the ability to act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot: 73% of Millennials say more enjoyable vs. 58% Gen Xers, 41% Baby Boomers, & 35% Matures
- Vehicles with infotainment systems that can connect to smartphones: 73% vs. 53%, 36%, 31%
It may not come as a surprise that Millennials are more likely than all other generations to say these features would make their trip more enjoyable. Parents are also more likely to believe these features would boost the enjoyment of a summer road trip compared to those without kids.
(To see more about Google’s plans to decorate its autonomous fleet, Click Here.)
While they may boost the fun factor on a long trip, what effect do these features have on safety? Americans are nearly split on whether each makes them feel “more safe” or has no impact on their safety during a road trip.
Lower gas prices and tech toys should result in more driver distractions, more accidents, more injuries and more deaths this Summer.
Enjoy it while you can as the pump prices are increasing almost daily.