Big drop in holiday travel expected in SoCal this year, Auto Club says

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- With a dangerous surge in coronavirus cases and deaths, officials are asking people to stay home as much as possible during this holiday season.

Many Southern Californians are heeding that advice. A travel forecast from the Auto Club indicates about a 37% drop in holiday travel among Southern Californians.

But that still means more than 5.7 million people will travel during the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Auto Club spokesman Doug Shupe says about 5.4 million are expected to take a road trip during the holidays. About 355,000 people will be flying - a drop of 54% from last year.

If you are hitting the road, remember to make sure your vehicle is ready to roll.

"Do research before you travel," Shupe said. "If you are making that personal decision to travel, we want to help people understand what the risks are and minimize them. You want to know what the restrictions are at your destination and along the way."

Across the country AAA anticipates coming to the roadside rescue of more than 905,000 stranded drivers. The primary reasons: Dead batteries and flat tires.

If you are traveling, be sure to understand the risks along the way and at your destination.

"Do research before you travel," Shupe said. "If you are making that personal decision to travel, we want to help people understand what the risks are and minimize them. You want to know what the restrictions are at your destination and along the way."

Also to stay healthy and safe, pack masks, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies when you travel. Use protective barriers when you touch doors and fill up gas tanks. And try to limit the number of stops you make before your destination.

The Auto Club offers the travel planning tool TripTik here.