Three million Floridians expected to travel for Thanksgiving: AAA

TAMPA, Fla. - If you're getting set to hit the road for the holiday, you won't be alone.

AAA expects this to be the third-busiest year since they've been forecasting holiday travel.

READ: Tampa man arrested after stealing nearly $450k from Pinellas County banks using 20 different IDs

AAA expects three million Floridians to travel at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving. Ninety-one percent will travel by car, mostly between Wednesday and Sunday of next week. 

The 55 million Americans headed out is the third-biggest number since 2005 and the highest since 2019.

"Be patient when you're out there on the road," said AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins. "You can't be mad at traffic if you are traffic."

File: Traffic in Tampa. 

It will be cheaper to drive this year, with gas going from $3.41 a gallon last year to $3.20 this year and continuing to fall. 

AAA is urging drivers to fill up before they head out and to check cars for any defects. 

Theo Whitehead rescues stranded motorists for AAA, and says it's important for other drivers to remember Florida's "move over" law now includes regular vehicles too, not just law enforcement.

"I have a job to do," said Whitehead. "And if everybody [would] just follow the rules, slow down, move over, we can make it home."

The number of Floridians traveling this year, 87,000, is 3% higher than last.

That's more than enough to fill Raymond James Stadium.