Atlanta makes Top 10 list of holiday headache hot spots for motorists

Atlanta made the Top 10 list of holiday headache hot spots for motorists released Thursday by AAA.

The list was developed by INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, in collaboration with AAA, according to AAA news release.

The worst day and time to drive in Atlanta by is predicted to be between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21, according to the list.

Other cities that made the list include New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Houston and Detroit.

Across the nation, INRIX predicts drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion before the holiday week – on Dec. 20 and and Dec. 21 – in the late afternoon as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. That's based on historical and recent travel trends, the release said.

“With record-level travelers hitting the road this holiday, drivers must be prepared for delays in major metros,” Graham Cookson, chief economist & head of research at INRIX, said in the release. “Our advice to drivers is to avoid peak times altogether or consider alternative routes.”

About 97.4 million Americans are expected to travel by automobile of a total of 107.3 million Americans expected to travel during the year-end holiday period Dec. 23 through Jan. 1.

This is expected to be the highest year-end travel volume on record and a 3.1 percent increase in travel volume compared with last year, AAA says.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Atlanta makes Top 10 list of holiday headache hot spots for motorists."