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45M expected to hit the road for Memorial Day Weekend — avoid traffic if you leave by key times

Nypost · · 453 words · By Brooke Steinberg
Holiday Travel Logistics Traffic congestion
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/19/lifestyle/best-worst-times-to-hit-the-road-for-mem…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

14 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 5
schedule Pending 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“The American Automobile Association (AAA) projects that a total of 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home for Memorial Day, between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results explicitly confirm that AAA projects 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday, May 21 and Monday, May 25.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — When Worlds Collide (Spanish: Cuando Los Mundos Chocan) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event that took place on November 6, 1994, at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAA_When_Worlds_Collide
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, commonly referred to as simply AAA (pronounced "Triple A"), is a Mexican professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Founded as Asistencia, Asesoría y Adm…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucha_Libre_AAA_Worldwide
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nathan Raymond MacKinnon (born September 1, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre and alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Mac…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_MacKinnon
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Of the 45 million Americans traveling this holiday, a record-setting 39.1 million will travel by car, signaling a slight increase from last year.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the 39.1 million figure for car travel. While one source says it is 'about the same as last year' and another calls it 'record-setting', the core figure of 39.1 million is consistent across the reports.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The AAA Mega Championship (often referred to as the AAA World Heavyweight Championship in English and known as the Mega Campeonato AAA in Spanish) is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAA_Mega_Championship
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, commonly referred to as simply AAA (pronounced "Triple A"), is a Mexican professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Founded as Asistencia, Asesoría y Adm…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucha_Libre_AAA_Worldwide
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Noche de Los Grandes (Spanish for "Night of the Greats") is an upcoming professional wrestling event produced by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), in partne…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noche_de_Los_Grandes
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“gas prices are the highest they’ve been since the summer of 2022”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results for this claim returned dictionary definitions of the word 'current' and banking terms, providing no factual data regarding gas prices in 2022 or the present.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — When you buy or sell cryptocurrency, a difference between the current market price and the price you buy or sell that asset for is called a spread. However, unlike most other exchanges, Current does n…
https://current.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Who is the current editor of the Times? A lot of businesses are being hurt by the current high interest rates. I wouldn't work for them even if they paid me twice my current salary. What are your curr…
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/zhs/词典/英语-汉语-简体/current
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 爱词霸权威在线词典,为您提供current的中文意思,current的用法讲解,current的读音,current的同义词,current的反义词,current的例句等英语服务。
https://www.iciba.com/word?w=current
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“driving is the most popular way to travel and makes up 87% of Memorial Day travelers, AAA said.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results explicitly state that driving accounts for 87% of Memorial Day travelers.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Driving is the most popular way to travel, accounting for 87% of travelers.In total, it 8% of all expected travelers. By other modes: Travel by other modes is expected to increase by 5%, with 2.2 mill…
https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/lifestyle/travel/2026/05/1…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Memorial Day 2026 Travel Costs. Based on AAA Travel bookings, average domestic travel costs for this kickoff to summer travel look like this: Domestic flights are 6% cheaper this Memorial Day weekend …
https://www.wibw.com/2026/05/11/despite-high-gas-prices-mill…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Driving is usually the preferred mode of transportation during holiday travel periods, with 87% of Memorial Day travelers opting for road trips. Gas prices are also expected to be lower this year comp…
https://thehill.com/homenews/5297500-americans-embracing-roa…
info
“INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, said that the heaviest congestion should be expected on Thursday and Friday between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., as well as Monday afternoon.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results mention INRIX in general contexts (South Africa, Oregon, England) but do not provide the specific Memorial Day projections for Thursday, Friday, or Monday mentioned in the claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Peak periods overall locally were 6-9am Monday through Friday, 3-6pm Monday through Thursday, and 2-7pm on Fridays. The congestion balance between peak and non-peak periods here was the same as the na…
https://www.onthemoveblog.com/inrix-congestion-in-sa-slightl…
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web search NEUTRAL — INRIX said that when holiday congestion shifts from metropolitan areas onto surrounding highways, “crash risk rises as drivers move onto less familiar routes outside normal commuting patterns.”
https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/2026/05/busy-highway-near-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Friday afternoon worst time to drive. According to INRIX data, traffic jams are set to strike on many of England's motorways, with delays of more than 45 minutes likely in the evening on the M3 in Sur…
https://news.sky.com/story/motor-agencies-warn-of-pre-christ…
info
“On Thursday, the best time to travel by car is after 9 p.m., while traveling before 11 a.m. is best on Friday and Saturday. Before 10 a.m. is the best time to hit the road on Monday.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results only provide dictionary definitions for the word 'optimal' and do not contain any travel time recommendations.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The meaning of OPTIMAL is most desirable or satisfactory : optimum. How to use optimal in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optimal
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web search NEUTRAL — Definition of optimal adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — OPTIMAL definition: 1. best; most likely to bring success or advantage: 2. best; most likely to bring success or…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/optimal
info
“The worst times to travel by car are between noon and 9 p.m. on Thursday, 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday, and noon and 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Monday.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provide general information about the 12-hour clock and AM/PM definitions, but no specific data on the worst travel times for the holiday.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The 12-hour clock is a time convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods: a.m. (from Latin ante meridiem, translating to "before midday") and p.m. (from Latin post meridiem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12-hour_clock
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web search NEUTRAL — 12 p.m., Friday also means night time but not it does not mean “midnight.”A minute before midday is 11.59am Naturally what should follow is 12.00am One m8nute later is 00.01pm.
https://www.englishclub.com/efl/articles/vocabulary/12am-12p…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Yes, conventionally 12 p.m. is noon, and 12 a.m. is midnight. You can say “12 p.m. noon” (or just “12 noon”) and “12 a.m. midnight” (or just “12 midnight”) for clarity when making arrangements. 12 noo…
https://quillbot.com/blog/definitions/am-and-pm/
info
“rental car company Hertz said that Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest pick-up days, with Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Boston seeing the highest demand.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results are general Hertz marketing pages and location information; they do not mention the specific busiest pick-up days or the list of high-demand cities for this holiday.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — If you're looking for the best selection and price on rental cars, look no further than Hertz! Click to save on your next rental today.
https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This offer is available at participating Hertz locations in the U.S. and Canada, subject to vehicle availability; convertibles, minivans, and large SUV classes are excluded.
https://www.hertz.com/us/en
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Hertz Car Rental Seattle The largest city in the state of Washington and in the entire Pacific Northwest, welcome to the buzzing city of Seattle. A seaport metropolis on the west coast of the US, Seat…
https://www.hertz.ca/p/car-rental/usa/washington/seattle
help
“In New York, the worst route for traveling by car is heading southbound to the Jersey Shore via the Garden State Parkway, with Friday at 2:15 p.m. being the worst time to hit the road.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this claim.
help
“That route has a startling travel time increase of 102% and will take an estimated 2 hours and 57 minutes.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this claim.
schedule
“The worst route in Los Angeles is traveling via I-10 E to Palm Springs on Friday at 5:30 p.m.”
PENDING
schedule
“With a travel time increase of 88%, it’s estimated to take drivers 4 hours and 21 minutes to get there.”
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“San Francisco to Napa via I-80 east is another bad route, with the worst time to travel being Friday at 6:15 p.m.”
PENDING
schedule
“The route has a travel time increase of 78% and will take an estimated 2 hours and 47 minutes.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.