(Photo by Tim Brown)

About 16 percent of the region’s population, or nearly one million people, are predicted to flee the D.C. area for Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

That’s the highest number of people during this holiday travel season in 12 years, AAA notes in a release.

This year, folks are expected to pack their bags for trips of 50 miles or more that begin on Thursday, which is often the most gridlocked day of the travel period, and end on Monday.

Of the 998,800 people who are are expected to leave—about 90 percent are leaving by car, which is on par with past years when nine out of 10 travelers fled in personal vehicles.

The number of people who will catch a flight out of town is increasing by 6.2 percent, and there’s a tiny jump of 0.4 percent in the number of people who will travel by rail, bus, and other modes of transportation.

“The expected spike in Memorial Day travel mirrors the positive growth seen throughout the travel industry this year,” said Tom Calcagni, a director at AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Higher confidence has led to more consumer spending, and many Americans are choosing to allocate their extra money on travel this Memorial Day.”

But it looks like they may not be spending that extra money on more beach cocktails. AAA reports that drivers may shell out more cash for gas, airfares, car rentals, and mid-range hotels compared to last Memorial Day.