Memorial Day traffic will peak this afternoon in Los Angeles

Planning a Memorial Day weekend getaway? You’re not the only one.

A new analysis from AAA and transportation analyst Inrix suggests almost 43 million people will set out on trips across the U.S., with the bulk of those travelers driving to their destinations.

If you’ve already made plans for a road trip, it’s a good idea to be strategic about when to depart to avoid the worst traffic of the weekend. The report indicates that in Los Angeles, traffic levels will peak this afternoon, between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.

The good news is that today’s worst gridlock isn’t expected to be any worse than a typical rush hour heading into the weekend. In both Boston and Washington D.C., on the other hand, congestion will hit levels three times worse than normal, according to the report.

Still, with an expected 3.5 percent national uptick in the number of drivers on the road, there’s bound to be backups around the region. Both Anaheim and San Francisco are listed among the 10 most common destinations, meaning that the 5 freeway could get plenty clogged over the weekend.

It’s probably also a good idea to avoid LAX if possible, as it’s expected to be flooded with visitors picking up rental cars today. Airport officials announced today that nearly 1.4 million passengers are expected to fly in and out of the airport between yesterday and Tuesday.

That’s a big increase over a typical five-day period, and car travel around the airport is expected to be up as a result. Los Angeles World Airports predicts 593,000 vehicles will pass through the pickup/dropoff area over the weekend.

Yesterday was projected to be the busiest day for both flights and car travel, with today following close behind. Saturday will see the fewest trips in and out of the airport.