AAA Mid-Atlantic is projecting a historic amount of Christmas-time travelers from the Washington area.

As many as four out of 10 Washington area residents will travel in the 10-day holiday period starting this weekend, 90 percent of them using area highways, according to the travel agency.

AAA Mid-Atlantic labeled it “the greatest exodus from the Washington metro area in the 21st Century.”

Much of the projections are based on demographics. The Washington metro area’s population of 5.5 million includes a large number of residents from outside the area, according to a press release. That will contribute to 2.3 million travelers averaging 765 miles round trip, a 2.3 percent increase from last year.

While a minority of those travelers will use the region’s airports (130,400 according to AAA’s projections) that’s still a five percent bump from last year.

Nationwide, AAA says a fourth of all Americans will travel at least 50 miles, a 1.6 percent bump from last year.

Flickr photo by rbcullen