Gasoline prices are making a dent in holiday travel plans this Fourth of July. For the first time this decade, there will be fewer travelers on the road compared to the year before.

We caught up with Neta Selby at the bus terminal in Omaha on Thursday. She was on her way from Des Moines to Sioux City for $63 with the senior discount. He son drove the same trek.

"It cost him $75 in gas," Neta said.

Neta Selby is one of 1.7 million people who will take the train or bus this Fourth of July weekend.

According to AAA, 34.2 million motorists will be on the road this weekend compared to 34.6 last year at this time. An estimated 4.5 million will fly. That's 100,000 fewer than last year.

Nebraska State Patrol Captain Tom Schwarten says the patrol is ready for a busy weekend and even with fewer people on the road, 13 percent of the population will still be mobile for the holiday.

Schwarten's advice for drivers: "wear your seatbelts and drive defensively."

The Bergerons are staying home this Independence Day. They usually do but fuel prices are taking a toll elsewhere for the family.

Joan Bergeron says, "Our teenage daughter said, 'I put $40 in it and it didn't even fill my Grand Am.' So she's definitely noticing the price of gas."

So are her parents. Since they're driving the Grand Am more than the SUV these days.

"It cost him $75 in gas," Joan says.

Tim Duggan is spending the holiday in Omaha with his grandchildren. This fall he's thinking about driving to San Francisco to see his son. At current prices he'd need $800 in gas money.

Tim says, "It's expensive if you have a small car. An SUV? Good lord."

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Nebraska at the start of the holiday weekend was $4.02. In Iowa it was $3.95.