Memorial Day weekend is set aside to honor the military men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, but it’s also the unofficial start of summer. This year, experts say, the largest number of Americans since 2005 is hitting the road.

Peter Greenberg, a travel editor with CBS News, reported about the millions of Americans who are ready to jump in the car and enjoy the holiday weekend, boosting the economy along the way:

You may have already heard the news but if you’re traveling over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, it will be the busiest on record. With gas prices not spiking, Americans are taking to their cars in record numbers. It’s the biggest number since 2005. Consider this: 42 million Americans are forecast to leave home and more than 36 million of them will travel by car.

Michael Blasky with AAA Northern California told the CBS affiliate KION News 46 in California that the number of Americans traveling by car this weekend is a record.

“Which is actually an all-time record,” Blasky said. “We haven’t seen these numbers or even numbers that come close to it since 2005.”

“You can thank strong consumer confidence for that,” KION reported.

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