NBC, (WILX) – Highway safety experts are particularly concerned about travel next week around the July 4th holiday and the long weekend that follows because of some bad habits some drivers exhibit all year long.

Record travel is expected next week.

“In fact, we are projecting that the travel is going to pick up on Wednesday before the holiday, and in those larger actual areas, you’re going to see travel times from two to four times longer than normal,” said Tamra Johnson with AAA.

Gas prices are almost 20 cents a gallon cheaper than last year.

“Where the holiday actually falls this year is actually allowing more travelers to spend a little additional time at their destination this year,” said Johnson.

Safety analysts say highway travel around July 4th is different from other holiday travel periods because traffic’s more congested.

“There’s a lot of people moving in a short amount of time to get places and it creates a perfect storm,” said Bill Powers, CEO of Cambridge Mobile Telematics.

Experts say distractions are magnified when roads are crowded.

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