Leave early, lose less time in traffic is how the message for the Fourth plays out when traffic statistics are analyzed. See the best times to hit the road on the Fourth.

traffic 4th july stats.jpeg — Drive smart and avoid a hot and hectic traffic jam. The AAA reportsthat 35.5 million people plan to hit the roads for the Fourth of July this year.

Hit the road bright and early from 7:00a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to skip town, as road speeds will slow throughout the day.
For the fireworks, head out well before show time around 5:00 p.m. to7:00 p.m. for the best chance at avoiding traffic—the worst of which is at9:00 p.m. (right before the fireworks!).
Also, plan to hang around after the fireworks display since road speeds won’t normalize until around 11:00 p.m.
Case in point—on average, the Fourth of July commute is going to be about 10 miles per hour slower, and the longer you spend on the road, the more your road trip translates to lost time.

English: fireworks seen across the at Washingt... — English: fireworks seen across the at Washington, D.C., USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Waze, a free, traffic navigation app for drivers by drivers, has mined their data to determine the best times for Chicagoans to hit the road to avoid traffic for a day of patriotic picnics, parades and pyrotechnics. That being said, if you still decide to brave the roads on Wednesday, use Waze to get where you need to go without wasting time or money.

With a new fuel program that integrates real-time gas prices into their app, Waze will ensure that you find the cheapest gas on your route. Participating fuel partners also will be offering gas coupons on the gallon exclusively to Wazers!

Don’t like Waze? There are many other free traffic apps you use on your smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device.