By KELLY HANNON

If you live less than 150 miles from your Thanksgiving destination, John Townsend at AAA wants you to think about driving on Thursday. Please.

"Just get up at 5. You'll be there for lunch," said Townsend, spokesman for AAA's Washington metro office.

You won't miss any food, he promises.

"I don't know any families that eat at noon. Thanksgiving's more of a supper."

People who travel Thursday will be rewarded with open roads and sparsely populated planes.

Wednesday and Sunday will be the busiest travel days of the week, and that will be evident on Interstate 95, Townsend said.

"You have to remember that Interstate 95 runs all the way from Maine to Florida, so not only do you have local traffic, you have national traffic being mixed together. And that is going to be a nightmare," he said.

He expects rush hour to be horrid on Wednesday night.

High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on I-95 will help commuters drive home in the Fredericksburg area.

HOV restrictions will be enforced Wednesday, and the Virginia Railway Express is operating.

HOV restrictions will be lifted for Thursday only.

Fredericksburg-area residents who must drive through Washington on Wednesday and Sunday should consider taking U.S. 301, Townsend said.

"You are a glutton for punishment if you take 95. It's torture. That's what it is--sheer torture," he said. "One crash can snarl up traffic from Fredericksburg to Washington."

if you're driving

High gas prices are not stopping Americans from visiting friends and family this Thanksgiving.

Gas averaged $2.15 a gallon in the Washington area last Thanksgiving week. This year, drivers are paying an average of $3.11 a gallon nationally, and $3.05 in Washington.

Nonetheless, almost 700,000 people--14 percent of Washington-area residents--are traveling more than 50 miles from home this year.

Of those, 83 percent will drive, 12 percent will fly, and 5 percent will take a bus or train.

Nationwide, 38.7 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving, a 1.5 percent increase from 2006.

Driving is the most popular mode of Thanksgiving travel, with 80 percent of Americans using a car, 12 percent flying, and 8 percent catching a train or bus.