Watch CBS News

Keller @ Large: How To Beat 4th Of July Traffic

BOSTON (CBS) – It's Thursday the de facto start of the big July 4th holiday weekend and that means we're all thinking the same thing - when should I hit the road to avoid the worst of the traffic?

As you know, this can be a very inexact science. A lot of people take an early slide and hit the road to the Cape or the North Country on Thursday. If enough people decide to miss the traffic jams this way they, of course, create huge traffic jams.

The folks who track traffic patterns say the worst travel day of this weekend is Friday, which makes sense. But if everybody makes a run for it on Thursday, Friday might not be so bad.

Then again, people may decide to outguess the mob by staying home on Thursday and turning Friday into a nightmare.

See what I mean about inexact science?

The experts will tell you the safest bet is to leave very early in the morning or very late at night but these options aren't the greatest for some people.

Have you ever tried to get teenagers up, packed and into the car by 7 a.m? It's like pulling rhinoceros teeth with a tweezer. And driving at night is not my idea of fun, especially on a party weekend when your company on the highway can be sketchy.

And then there is the issue of getting home. Do you hit the fireworks with the car all packed up on Monday night and head home straight from there? That's no fun.

But the Tuesday morning traffic could be intense - hope you have an understanding boss, if that's your choice.

Let's face it, the holiday weekend drive is a tough call.

Suffice to say that I need to head down the Cape at mid-day on Friday and that would be a great time for everyone else to stay home.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.