Even though gas prices have continued to inch higher as Christmas draws closer, experts with AAA-Alabama still project more people will take to the roads to visit family than last year.

“The higher prices — which are very unusual for this time of year — do not seem to be keeping anyone from driving this season,” AAA-Alabama’s Clay Ingram said. “We still project a sizeable increase in the number of drivers on the road this holiday season.”

Ingram said the organization usually expects a 1.0 to 1.5 percent increase in driving traffic each Christmas season, but this year, they are expecting far more of a jump from last year as the economy ever so slightly improves.

In a release in mid-December, AAA projected 92.3 million Americans would travel 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holidays, an increase of 3.1 percent.

The year-end holidays travel period began Thursday and rolls through Jan. 2.

“It’s great to see so many Americans taking to the roads, rails and skies this holiday season, especially since this is the fifth consecutive holiday period this year in which AAA has predicted a year-to-year increase in the number of travelers,” Ingram said. “After a challenging year in 2009, a modestly improved economic environment and pent-up demand resulted in more Americans traveling in 2010, and the year-end holidays are no exception.”

Ingram said even with higher unemployment and a still sluggish economy, Ingram believes more people are traveling because their lives have “stabilized.”

“Either they are unemployed and have been able to settle their finances from the big slowdown over a year ago, or people are still employed but are feeling more confident in keeping their job,” Ingram said.

But even with that stabilizing feeling, Ingram and AAA were somewhat surprised at the overall driving travel projections.

Their expectation is 93 percent of all holiday travelers will drive to their year-end holiday destination rather than fly or take rail. Ingram said that figure is far and above the regular figures that project percentages in the mid- to high-80s.