Motorists should brace themselves for congestion this weekend as the Easter getaway begins.
Figures from the RAC suggest that 14 million leisure car journeys will be taken between this Friday, when many schools finish for Easter, and Sunday night.
Friday will be the busiest day on the roads, with 5.3 million extra journeys made on top of usual traffic. The busiest time to travel on Friday is between 3pm and 7pm, says the RAC.
Some 5 million and 4 million leisure journeys will be made on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The RAC predicts that the roads will be busiest between 10am and 3pm on Saturday and 11am and 3pm on Sunday.
The Easter weekend will also see a second “substantial wave of congestion”.
“With the Easter bank holiday falling so late this year we are expecting to see a double wave of getaway traffic – firstly at the end of this week, and then again two weeks later for the four-day weekend,” said RAC traffic spokesperson Rod Dennis.
“We’re hopeful the weather won’t cause drivers too many issues through this coming weekend, but everyone should be ready for some typical short, sharp April showers, with even the possibility of some snow on higher ground in the north.
“This can be a busy time of year for our patrols so we strongly urge motorists to check over their vehicles before they set out. This is particularly important for people driving long distances.
“Spending just a few moments to check oil, coolant, together with tyre tread depth and pressures, can mean the difference between a long but completed journey and one disrupted by an inconvenient, and perhaps preventable, breakdown that ruins the start of a holiday.”
