Labor Day traffic crowded roadways

MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) - For millions across the nation, the end of summer meant a test in patience on our nation's roads. Traffic was stacked and packed as people made their way back home from their Labor Day vacations.

The Bayway looked like a seven mile long parking lot. Traffic was intense. AAA said 34 million people traveled over the weekend; that's enough bodies to fill Bryant Denny stadium 340 times over.

As people were getting away from their getaway, Mobile was an elusive destination.

"It's insane!" one driver said.

"Oh! It's terrible!" another driver said.

"It's a dead still on the Bayway right now. We just looked at it, there's nobody moving," one man said.

So some folks looked for a detour.

"I'm glad the rest of them don't know about this Highway 90," one driver said.

Well, surprisingly, many do. On Highway 90 Monday afternoon, it looked just as bad as the Bayway.

Traffic on the roads is a little more packed than in 2009. AAA said there were 10 percent more cars on the road for Labor Day weekend, compared to 2009s holiday weekend.

A representative from the Alabama Department of Public Safety said there were no major accidents or road closures in the Mobile area Monday.

The Florida Highway Patrol reported one traffic fatality in Okaloosa County, and a handful of crashes throughout northwest Florida.

Along the Bayway, it appeared traffic was too slow to really do much of anything.

"Just be patient," one man suggested.

That's what these drivers had to do, whether they liked it or not.

Here are a couple of tips to avoid traffic jams; this comes from a Wall Street journal article: travel at off-peak times, like early Saturday morning instead of a Friday afternoon. Also, another strategy is to pick lesser-known destinations for your getaway.