What to Know
- A study looked into the driving trends across large cities in the country to figure out the worst hour for traffic during Labor Day weekend
- Drivemode determined that leaving on Thursday was not a surefire way to beat the Friday traffic rush
- The study also revealed NYC has the worst traffic, with drivers taking 7.07 minutes to travel a single mile during lunchtime Friday
With summer slipping away, Labor Day Weekend is the last big hurrah of the season for many. The holiday is known as a popular travel period due to it marking the last “official” weekend for beaches and summer activities. But, what exactly is the worst time to start your holiday travels this weekend?
A study by the safe driving app Drivemode looked into the driving trends across the 20 large cities in the country to figure out the worst hour for traffic during the holiday weekend. Drivemode determined that leaving on Thursday was not a surefire way to beat the Friday rush.
According to the report, it turns out that the slowest traffic on Thursday was actually worse than Friday in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Riverside, Sand Francisco, St. Louis, Tama and Washington D.C.
The study also revealed that New York City has the worst traffic, with drivers taking 7.07 minutes to travel a single mile from noon to 1 p.m. on the Friday of Labor Day Weekend — the worst travel prognosis among the cities analyzed.
Additionally, Drivemode determined that those trying to leave around lunch (11am-1pm) on Thursday or Friday had the slowest drive in Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York, and Riverside.
However, leaving after lunch, between the hours of 2 through 4 p.m., was the slowest drive in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Riverside, Tampa, and Miami. Leaving after 8pm on Thursday or Friday night was the slowest in Houston, Atlanta, and Dallas.
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“Drivers are always trying to beat traffic, and before a holiday weekend, they are often more motivated to spend the least amount of time on the road as possible,” Yo Koga, CEO and Founder of Drivemode, said in a statement.
“We can see that drivers in different cities experiment with different times to leave, often coalescing around surprising times. Whether it’s because of day shifts ending or flexible holiday office hours, each city reveals its own unique trends for trying to beat traffic.”
