1M North Carolinians expected to travel for July 4

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — AAA Carolinas predicts more than a million North Carolinians will be on the highways for the Independence Day holiday, the highest number in more than 13 years.

And when those motorists stop for a tank of gas, they will be paying the highest holiday gas prices since 2008.

The number of person trips, traveling more than 50 miles from home, is expected to be 1,175,000 million with 1,015,000 choosing to drive. That's up from 988,000 last year.

Gas prices are 16 cents higher than last year, partly due to unrest in Iraq, which is propping up prices at a time when they would typically be declining with refineries ramping up supply for summer driving. The highest price is in Durham at $3.641 and the cheapest is in Greensboro at $3.505.

WSOC