The August bank holiday could see over 14million cars on the country's already congested major roads, the RAC says.
Starting Thursday through to Bank Holiday Monday, millions of drivers are planning to take to the road and make the most of the long weekend.
More than 11m (11.2m) people say they have planned car journeys over that time period but another 3m (3.2m) say they will be driving but are at present undecided as to which day they will be travelling on.
Friday and Saturday are likely to be the busiest days on the road for leisure trips as research shows 3.6m cars are expected to be making journeys on both days.
Thursday is estimated to be the next busiest with 3.2m cars, followed by the bank holiday Monday with 2.4m.
With the extra day of the bank holiday weekend, Sunday is forecast to be quieter with only 1.6m leisure trips being made although some delays can still be expected.
Data from transportation analytics specialist INRIX shows ahead of the bank holiday the M5 will be worst hit on Friday between J4 and J1 from 9.30am to 2pm with travel times increasing from 21mins to 1hr 21mins.
On Saturday the M1 is predicted to be badly affected from J22 to J25 with journey times increasing from a typical 16mins to a whopping 62mins.
Travel this weekend - in numbers
| Planned leisure trips by car | Worst times to travel | Best times to travel | Worst road for long delays | |
| Friday 24August | 3.6m | 1400 to 1930hrs | 1000 to 1300hrs | M5 J4 to J1 1300 to 18:00hrs |
| Saturday 25August | 3.6m | 1100 to 1500hrs | 1700 to 1900hrs | M1 J22 to J25 1430 to 1700hrs |
| Sunday 26August | 1.6m | 1630 to 1900hrs | 0900 to 1100hrs | M8 A725 to A779 1130 – 1730hrs |
| Monday 27August | 2.4m | 1000 to 1530hrs | 1700 to 1900hrs | M2 J3 to J7 1030 – 1500hrs |
RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “While the late August bank holiday is not typically one of the busiest on the roads due to it falling in the middle of the school holidays when people are already away, either in the UK or abroad, it still has huge potential to bring gridlock to major roads, especially if we were to see the sun make a welcome comeback.
Add a bank holiday and some sunshine into the mix and it’s the perfect recipe for a long wait on the motorway.”
INRIX data scientist Josh Kidd said: “The best general advice to anyone driving to spend some time away from home this weekend is to travel as early or as late in the day as possible in an effort to avoid the worst of the traffic.
“However, on Friday, the joint busiest day this weekend, our data suggests drivers should set off between 10am and 1pm to avoid clashing with commuters and other people planning a bank holiday getaway.”
Top tips for avoiding - or just coping - with the jams
| 1 | Think carefully about when you’re travelling | Most traffic queues are caused by too many cars on the same roads at the same time. If you can travel outside the peak times – think early in the morning or later in the evening – you can easily miss them. |
| 2 | Make sure your car, and anything you are towing, are up to the job… | Many summer breakdowns are avoidable – punctures for instance can be caused by a tyre that is in poor condition or just not inflated properly. And ageing batteries can struggle in lots of stop-start traffic – consider replacing it if you have any concerns. And check your air conditioning is cooling properly – if it’s not, it might need re-gassing, an easy job for a good garage. |
| 3 | …and make sure you and your passengers are as well | Hungry, thirsty or tired passengers are recipes for in-car irritability – and ‘carguments’. So when setting out, pack enough food and water to keep your passengers happy, and plan in enough breaks along the way. |
