Extended Holiday Weekend 2

Extended Holiday Weekend 2

• Excerpt from Blog Post, dated 5/24/2013: Extended Holiday Weekend. There is so much to be said for youth, we were all there once.  Some of us are still there but it’s not the same; young at heart and in mind is not the same as young actually.  The things we value, the things that drive us, for the most part it’s the material things, and the instant gratification.  I was impulsive once upon a time, I like many others, and somehow felt that youth would stick around forever.  What a wonderful thing to have progressed out of it while I was still young, and could make amends.
• The extended holiday weekend reminds me of the olden days when I too would have the car packed and ready to go for the 1500 mile trip from California to Washington State to visit family and friends for the three day weekend.  The only difference between then and now was the amount of the payments of the muscle car I was driving, and the cost per gallon of gasoline.  My car payments were right around $50.00 and the cost of a gallon of gasoline was .29 cents.  Compare the cost of gasoline at $3.79 today.  Not to mention the cost of a New Camaro or Charger, right around $49K to $64K plus financing. 
• This is  a typical scenario leading up to the extended weekend; Thursday night like most every other week night I would stay up until around midnight, I would wake up by 5 am to show up to work by 7 am (5 hours sleep maximum).  On Friday I would arrive from work at around 5:45 pm, and hit the road immediately headed north.  The drive as soon as the holiday traffic cleared up and we were past the Bay Area traffic would be a constant 85 to 90 miles per hour until we arrived home the next day near noon.  The visit while fun and exciting, was short lived.  In order to return in time for my job we had to leave no later than 1:30 pm on Monday so I could report to my mid-management position by 7 am on Tuesday. 

 WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This Labor Day, millions of cars will hit the road as Americans celebrate summer with family and friends. As with all of the summer holidays, many people celebrate the end of summer by driving to a location that is more than 50 miles away from their home. The National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) is reminding all motorists to drive carefully when they travel this weekend.  

In 2012, more than 6,270 red-light violations occurred over the Labor Day holiday.* this year is likely to be just as dangerous.

 

Travel club AAA is projecting that 34.1 million Americans will travel over the holiday, with 85 percent expected to drive to their destinations. This prediction represents an increase of 4.3 percent when comparing the numbers to last year's drivers.  Due to this expected rise in the number of road travelers, the National Safety Council predicts that 394 traffic deaths will occur over the Labor Day travel period, an increase of nearly 6 percent over 2012 numbers. In addition, the safety organization estimates that another 42,200 people will require medical treatment for traffic-related injuries.

 

"With a significant influx of cars on our roadways, all drivers must be careful over the holiday weekend, especially in and around intersections," says Melissa Wandall, President of NCSR. "We encourage everyone to slow down and take extra care to stop at red lights."

Friday, August 30 is expected to be the busiest travel day of 2013. AAA predicts that 46 percent of Americans will depart for the holiday weekend on Friday and 43 percent will return on Monday, September 2.

 

My family and I plan to stay home, and entertain our family members that drop by for some delicious BBQ, and home style family cooking.  We can always travel when everyone else returns to school and work.  I wish travelers a safe and happy extended weekend!  The best is yet to come.....