Despite record high gas prices around the nation, Oregonians will be hitting the road for Memorial Day and state troopers want to make sure this year the holiday is safer than last.

According to Oregon State Police ten people were killed in crashes -- that was the most since 1982. Half of those deaths involved motorcyclists.

AP photo

ODOT reports the highest number of drunk driving crashes also happen on Memorial Day weekend.

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"The high number motorcycle-involved fatal crashes during the holiday period was surprising even though we anticipated more motorcyclists on highways and streets given excellent weather and rising fuel costs last year," OSP Captain Gerry Gregg said.

State police and ODOT started Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) on Friday with enhanced patrols around state highways.

Also, remember that road construction season has begun. The state said the new Oregon Transportation Improvement Act is the biggest overhaul and modernization of Oregon highways and bridges in decades, and will increase construction zones.

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And the price of gas is keeping many people home. AAA released a survey Thursday projecting that the number of Americans traveling more than 50 miles from home over the long holiday weekend will fall nearly 1 percent from last year.

About 31.7 million Americans plan to travel via car over Memorial Day weekend, a 1 percent decline from 32 million last year. About 4.35 million will travel via plane, a decline of about half a percent from the 4.37 million who flew last year. Another 1.8 million will travel via train, bus or other type of transportation.

Also: Gas Watch

At the pump, the national average price of a gallon of regular gas rose 1.8 cents overnight to a $3.776, according to a survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Prices are 67 cents higher than a year ago, and many analysts think they could rise as high as $4 on a national basis in coming weeks. Consumers in many areas are already paying that much, or more.

Other travel costs are also on the rise, AAA said. The average Memorial Day weekend air fare will rise 8 percent from last year, to $179. The average cost of a rental car will jump 45 percent from last year, to $45 a day.

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