WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Thanksgiving is less than a week away and Friday marks what is considered the start of the holiday travel season with millions expected to hit the holiday road this year.

Triple predicts more than 49 million people will travel by car for the holiday.

There’s some traffic outside currently and according to experts we’re gonna be seeing even more of that until after the holiday is over.

28/22 News spoke with several experts on how to keep you, your passengers, and your car safe if you’re planning on traveling for the holiday.

Most Thanksgiving travelers will drive to their destinations. AAA projects 49.1 million Americans will get behind the wheel, an increase of 1.7% compared to 2022.

Experts say staying safe while traveling starts with making sure your car is in good shape.

“Now that we’re getting into the winter season you wanna make sure that you have your tires checked whether you use snow tires or anything like that. make sure your windshield wipers are working and that you have the windshield wiper fluid,” said Rebecca Rybak the education coordinator of Northeast Highway Safety Program.

Rybak says you should also take a look at the forecast before you get behind the wheel.

“We’re in a pattern now where we could have rain we could have snow depending on where you go,” added Rybak.

Experts also say that it’s important to be mindful that there are people coming in from out of town who might not know the rules of our roads.

“So it’s really important to be focused and alert because if they’re not knowing where to go or they’re traveling then it’s easy for an accident to happen,” says Elizabeth Fabri Safety Press Officer.

Officials say you can also expect an increased police presence on the roads over the next several days.

“We’re gonna be more visible than we typically would be out on the interstates and everywhere else. and the reason we do that is because the end goal for us is to have zero crashes at the end of the holiday weekend. we feel the best way of doing that is by being extra proactive and doing more enforcement,” explained Tropper Bill Evans PSP Wilkes-Barre.

Experts also suggest making sure your phone is charged, packing an emergency kit in your car with essentials, and of course, wearing your seatbelt.