AAA: More than 2M Ohioans will hit the road for Thanksgiving holiday

For the first time in 11 years, more than 2 million Ohioans will journey 50 miles or more from home for the Thanksgiving holiday.

According to AAA, this represents a 2 percent increase over the last year with 1.8 million planning to travel by car as gas prices hold close to $2 per gallon.

Overall, 48.7 million Americans plan to travel for the upcoming holiday. This represents a 1.9 percent increase over 2015, and the most Thanksgiving travelers since 2007.

Improvements in the economy during the second half of the year — including rising wages, increased consumer spending and overall strength in consumer confidence — are contributing factors for this year’s increase in holiday travel.

Last year during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday period that began Wednesday Nov. 25, AAA’s Roadside Rescue Team came to the aid of more than 1,200 stranded Miami Valley area drivers. These were the three calls:

• Tow service: 563
• Dead battery: 266
• Keys locked in vehicle: 179