Fuel costs, security may dampen travel

Vic Saunders and five of his friends are packing up a van this Friday and heading out on a 390-mile road trip to Laramie, Wyo.

While a new survey from AAA said that gas prices and tight airport security may deter people from traveling this Labor Day weekend, Saunders said it's not a worry for him and his buddies, all longtime fans of the Utah State University Aggies. They've been going on trips like this for years and wouldn't miss the Aggies opening their football season against the University of Wyoming Cowboys, he said.

The game begins at 2:30 p.m.

"Gas was not an issue," said Saunders, director of development for the USU College of Agriculture. "I guess if it were really expensive, maybe four or five bucks, it would be an issue, but with six in a van, it's fairly economical."

Still, with the average price of gas in Utah hovering around $2.98 per gallon, AAA is predicting that the number of Utahns traveling this weekend will increase by less than 1 percent over last year. The AAA survey, released Monday, indicated that just over 300,000 Utahns will travel this weekend.

Of those traveling, AAA predicts that about 248,000 will travel by car; about 50,000 by air; and just over 14,000 by train or bus. Air travel is down about 2.1 percent over last year, while travel by car has increased by only 1.1 percent.

"The number of Utahns traveling this holiday seems to be slowing down, possibly as a result of higher gas prices and the increasing number of schools starting before Labor Day," said Rolayne Fairclough, AAA of Utah spokeswoman.

Fairclough is encouraging Utahns to shop around for good travel prices before leaving this weekend, and to plan ahead for new screening restrictions at the airport. Those restrictions include a ban on most liquids and gels in carry-on bags.

Nile Easton, spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation, said road restrictions may also affect travelers this weekend. Near Nephi, I-15 will be reduced to one lane in both directions. Near Green River, U.S. 6 will be reduced to one lane. Flaggers will direct traffic in that area.

Trooper Jeff Nigbur with the Utah Highway Patrol said Wednesday that extra troopers will be on the highway this weekend looking for people who are driving while drunk. Several DUI checkpoints will be set up around the state, he said.

UHP is also warning motorists not to drive while drowsy. That's a major cause of fatal accidents, said Nigbur. Statistics from the Utah Highway Safety Office show that Labor Day is one of the deadliest holidays for people on the road. The Fourth of July has been the holiday with the highest number of fatalities the past two years.

"Our main mission," said Nigbur, "is to reduce crashes, and hopefully we won't have any fatals this weekend."

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com