Record-breaking Fourth of July travel

AAA expects this 4th of July to be a record-breaking holiday for travel but before you even load the car up, many drivers have their cars serviced, which means big business for local auto repair shops.

This week AAA predicts that more than 41.1 million Americans will hit the road and for Century Automotive Repair in Lincoln, it means big business.

"A lot of people trying to get ready for a road trip. Some people plan wisely, some people last minute it, so we'll see that uptick this week and we already have some," said Lenny Hernoud who owns the shop.

That record-breaking amount of road trippers will usually head out on the day of but because the Fourth lands on Thursday they will mix with regular commuters. Delays could be four times the average in larger metro areas.

"Best bet if you want to avoid congestion, try to leave early in the morning,” said Tamra Johnson with AAA. “If your schedule allows, try to actually leave on the day of the holiday."

The heat is also a factor that many drivers may forget can affect parts of their car besides just the air condition.

"Don't let the fuel gauge or the fuel tanks go lower than a quarter of a tank,” said Hernoud. “In this kind of heat because your fuel pump is kept cool by the gas that’s in the tank and if you let it get to low that pump will get hot and if you shut the car off it may not restart if it’s gotten too hot."

This weekend will also bring a huge uptick in roadside breakdowns. For that Hernoud recommends you always have items in your car to prepare for the worst.

“Couple courts of oil, some anti-freeze just in case, washer fluid is never bad, bottled water,” said Hernoud. “You know that’s always nice, being able to help yourself instead of waiting on somebody else."

If you don’t plan to have your car checked out before you hit the road, Hernoud says doing the easy things yourself, like checking tire pressure and especially spare tire pressure is important as well.