Traffic snarls stretched for miles along Los Angeles freeways on Wednesday as travellers prepared for one of the busiest Thanksgiving holidays on record. An aerial footage released by Fox 11 News shows a river of red on one side of the road as cars wait with brake lights on. On the other side, cars moved swiftly, and their yellow lights created a contrast.
“The vast majority of people on this Thanksgiving week are driving,” an anchor said as a drone flew over the East LA interchange. “All of them are taking off this week. It is also rush hour.”
Rush-hour traffic like this has become a Thanksgiving tradition in LA. Previously, an old video capturing heavy traffic congestion along West LA's along the 405 and 10 freeways surfaced on X.
Video of the 405 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles as Thanksgiving travel rush gets underway.
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The American Automobile Association (AAA) projects a record 81.8 million Americans will travel at least 80 km from home during the seven-day holiday period, an increase of 1.6 million travellers compared to last year. Nearly 90 per cent are expected to travel by car, leading to severe congestion, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, and throughout Sunday.
Drivers are benefiting from stable gas prices, averaging $3.06 per gallon, and cheaper car rentals, reportedly down about 15 per cent from last year. Wednesday will be the busiest day for picking up rental cars, particularly in Orlando, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Newark.
With millions on the move, roadside assistance is likely to be in high demand. AAA handled close to 6 lakh emergency calls last Thanksgiving.
The holiday remains the nation's busiest travel period, surpassing Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
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