Metro Atlanta’s worst times, days for traffic this holiday season

More than 3 million Georgia travelers are hitting the road to celebrate the end-of-year holidays, according to the AAA auto club.

That could get messy — quickly.

But with sufficient preparation outside peak times, you may be able to avoid congestion in metro Atlanta and around the rest of the state.

The Georgia Department of Transportation based its traffic expectations for the holiday season on data from last year’s patterns. The main takeaway? Travel early in the morning or depart later than everyone else.

“More than 3.8 million Georgians will travel this holiday season, setting a new record,” Montrae Waiters, a spokesperson for AAA, said via email. “With busy roads and airports, we urge travelers to plan ahead, allow extra time and consider travel insurance to protect their trip.”

Among those Georgia travelers, 3.4 million will pack their vehicles and arrive by car. That’s a slight increase of nearly 2% from last year, AAA said.

Driving is the “overwhelming favorite” mode of transportation for Americans because of convenience and affordability, AAA reports.

National average gas prices are the lowest they’ve been in four years, dropping below $3 per gallon, according to AAA. On Monday, the average for regular gas was $2.85 nationwide, down 6 cents over the past week. In Georgia, the average is $2.74, about 17 cents lower than this time last year.

The worst traffic during the Christmas week was expected to happen Monday and Tuesday and is now behind us, according to GDOT. Light traffic was expected on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

And experts expect light traffic again Friday through Sunday.

Across the state, the areas with the worst traffic around the Christmas holiday are expected to be within and around I-285, particularly along I-75, Macon on I-475 and I-75, and Savannah on I-16 and I-95, GDOT reports. Light traffic is also anticipated west of Douglasville where Georgia meets Alabama, southwest of LaGrange and Augusta.