UK drivers urged not to travel during height of ‘record Christmas getaway’
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RAC says to avoid major routes in England between 1pm and 7pm on Friday and Saturday as long queues expected. Drivers are being urged not to travel on major routes for six hours on Friday and Saturday, with record levels of Christmas holiday traffic expected to cause long queues on Britain’s roads.
The RAC and the transport analytics company Inrix predicted a total of 29.3m festive journeys would be made between Wednesday and Christmas Eve, the most since the RAC began recording the data in 2013. On Friday and Saturday, roads are likely to be busiest between 1pm and 7pm.
Hotspot areas where queues are expected include the M3 between its junction with the M25 and the south coast, the M25 anticlockwise between its junctions with the M1 and the M23, and the M53 from Chester to Liverpool. About 3m leisure trips by car are planned for Friday, with a further 3.7m on Saturday, the RAC said after surveying 2,100 UK adults. Getaway traffic is expected to peak on Christmas Eve, with 3.8m planned journeys.
Alice Simpson, a RAC spokesperson, said: “Our research suggests that with Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year, many drivers will be squeezing in their getaway trips right up until the big day itself. “While the getaway starts to ramp up from Friday, snarl-up Saturday looks particularly challenging, as does Christmas Eve. Travelling outside peak hours might be the only way drivers miss the worst of the jams.”.
