Holiday travelers will begin hitting the road Friday evening

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Many people are hitting the road Friday evening to begin their holiday travels, according to AAA.

AAA says this is the eight-year of consecutive travel volume increases and the eighth consecutive year of record-breaking travel.

Since Christmas lands on a Wednesday, travelers will be spread out, since some will leave the Friday before, while others will wait until the week of.

One thing that is helping Idahoans start their trip on the right note is the gas prices.

According to AAA in Idaho, we’re normally in the seventh to the ninth range for most expensive gas prices. Today the U.S. Average price for regular gas is $2.55, and Idaho's current average price is $2.77. That is 22 cents cheaper than a month ago and five cents more expensive than a year ago.

The cheaper gas prices have come just in time for those leaving on their holiday travels, and AAA expects them to stick around until the end of the year.

“Good news is everything's kind of working in the right direction right now. We expect that to continue until right up before Christmas time. Usually, there's a little bit of a stall in that trend when people start traveling and, it puts a little bit more pressure on gas prices but overall we're seeing a very nice trend right now. We expected to continue most of the way through the end of the year,” said AAA Idaho public affairs director, Matthew Conde.

AAA predicts 827,000 motorists nationwide will need roadside assistance during their holiday travels, they recommend completing a pre-trip inspection to catch many common issues before travelers leave town.