Happy Memorial Day! It’s Leslie Harris and many people think of this weekend as the first official weekend of Summer, and more people will be driving this weekend than any other Memorial Day according to the people who know these things. So in light of that, here’s some stuff you need to know.

More than 37 million people will be driving at some point over this holiday weekend according to the AAA, and Chicago is one of the top three cities that is going to see the largest increase in traffic among major cities. You might be wondering where some of the most popular destinations would be. That would be beaches, movie theaters and cemeteries. I’m hoping for good beach weather myself.

Expect more delays, and leave yourself LOTS of extra time. With the increased number of people driving, and many of them may be intoxicated, you want to leave yourself lots of extra room between you and the people around you while you’re driving. You also want to use a navigation tool like Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze, even if you know how to get to your destination like you know the back of your hand. These navigation tools will detect traffic patterns, and may in fact find you a shortcut that will avoid traffic jams.

And if you find yourself intoxicated, do your loved ones a favor and stay off the road. take a taxi, a ride share, call a friend or relative, or just stay put.

Wherever you’re going this weekend, slow down, stay safe, keep breathing, and have a great Memorial Day weekend!

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