Memorial Day weekend traffic nightmare

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11) - If you're heading out the door this Memorial Day weekend, be prepared for a lot of company.

AAA says a record number of people are taking road trips this holiday weekend. The auto club reports nearly 43 million Americans will kick-off summer with a Memorial Day weekend getaway.

The overwhelming majority of those, 37.6 million, will hit the freeways, the most on record. That's because consumer spending, job and income growth remain strong, according to AAA. And a record number of families are prioritizing their disposable income on traveling this weekend.

Lance Paris is heading to Palm Springs to golf.

"Gassing up for the trip, getting all ready, packing everything today and leaving first thing in the morning," said Paris.

Travel delays are expected to be more than three times longer than usual. According to AAA, the worst time to leave L.A. this Memorial Day weekend is tomorrow between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.

"I'm not worried about traffic because it's my wife, daughter, and grand-daughter so we get to be in the carpool lane. We're going straight across the top of the valley," said Paris.

The top three U.S. destinations this Memorial Day weekend are Las Vegas, New York and Orlando. LAX is one of the top three busiest airports in the country for rental car pick-ups this Memorial Day weekend -- and the biggest day for those pick-ups is Friday.