OHIO, USA — The Fourth of July is one of the busiest days for travel recorded by AAA.
The travel agency expects a record number of Americans to head out of town for the holiday and Wednesday is really the start of it.
This July 4 travel is part of what the Ohio State Highway Patrol calls the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer.
State troopers said about 33% of all deadly crashes happen between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That's why they're sending extra patrols out to try and keep you safe on the roadway.
"So far this year during the 100 deadliest days of summer, the fatal numbers are trending downward as compared to the same time frame as last year," Sgt. Ryan Purpura with OSHP said. "So in order for that to continue, we're going to continue to do our part and make our roadways as safe as possible, but we do need that cooperation with the motoring public."
Purpura said troopers made 138 impaired driving arrests from July 3 through July 4 last year.
Drivers WTOL 11 spoke to said they're on the lookout.
"With driving in the summertime, I mean there's definitely more cars I think out on the road, but it's not as slippery with the snow and stuff so traffic has actually been pretty good I thought,” Kyle Baldwin from Wisconsin said.
"Tonight we are going to go to the Perrysburg fireworks so we're excited about that and we came up to see some friends," Sarah Vaness from Cincinnati said. "Just take your time and be safe."
Purpura said being patient can help but there are other things you can do if you're hitting the roads this holiday weekend.
"This weekend and going through the rest of summer and always, we encourage the motoring public to do things that are within their control when they get behind the wheel and that's certainly not drive impaired, wear that safety belt, put the distraction down, and then put themselves in a good position to be safe and allow other people to be safe on our roadways,” Purpura said.
And the Ohio Department of Transportation agrees. ODOT spokesperson Matt Bruning said drivers can help protect one another.
"So we just want people to be safe. Again, we just need people to obey that speed limit, drive sober, drive without distractions, buckle up," Bruning said. "We know those are things that can significantly reduce your chance of being seriously injured or killed in crashes."
OSHP encourages drivers to designate a sober driver and safely call #677 to report impaired drivers, drug activity, or stranded motorists.