The RAC is dubbing tomorrow (July 26) ‘Frantic Friday’ as it expects to see a total of 3.2m trips being made as leisure and commuter traffic vie with each other for space on the roads.
New data from the RAC and transport analytics specialists INRIX suggests that it’s likely to be a ‘weekend of woe’ with congestion peaking on Saturday, July 27, with a total of 3.6m journeys expected, only to be followed by another 2.9m trips on Sunday.
The RAC’s records show these three days will be the second busiest summer getaway weekend since 2015. In that time only 2022 saw more trips made, with 18.8m taking to their cars in extremely hot weather following two years of Covid lockdowns.
INRIX is warning drivers to avoid travelling between 12pm and 5pm on both Friday and Saturday and between 11am and 1pm on Sunday, when the worst delays are expected. The best times to travel will be after 6pm on Friday and Saturday, or 3pm on Sunday. Saturday will see the longest hold-ups, with delays on A-roads and motorways expected mean journeys will take a third longer than usual.
Meanwhile, as millions of cars hit the road for summer, separate research by the RAC reveals the extent to which some drivers take a gamble before hitting the road with one-in-10 (11%) saying they have driven to a holiday destination knowing there’s a problem with their vehicle, be it a warning light, mechanical issue, fluid leak or poor tread on a tyre.
