Summer traffic warning as millions of Brits leave town after schools break up

17 July 2023 , 23:03

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Separate RAC research suggests 26% of people will use their cars to go on holiday in the UK in July and August (Image: PA)

The annual big summer traffic jam gets underway this weekend as drivers embark on 12.6 million car trips after schools break up.

With holidays starting across England and Wales on Friday, the RAC expects the number of journeys will exceed the pre-pandemic average.

The largest number of leisure trips will be taken on Saturday, with indications of 3.1 million – around 600,000 more than Sunday, with an estimated 2.5 million journeys. Up to 2.3 million leisure trips will be made by drivers on Friday, and around 1.6 million on Thursday to beat the rush.

An additional 4.8 million journeys are predicted for some point between Friday and the end of Sunday.

There will be fewer trips than last year’s 18.82 million, the busiest ever recorded by the RAC, but still more than the pre-pandemic average.

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An additional 4.8 million journeys are predicted for some point between Friday and the end of Sunday (SWNS)

Separate RAC research suggests 26% of people will use their cars to go on holiday in the UK in July and August, with 28% of them heading for Cornwall, Devon, Dorset or Somerset.

The Hampshire, Sussex and Kent coasts are the next most popular destinations. RAC spokesman Rod Dennis warned: “Routes heading south and west are likely to encounter some of the longest queues.”

Some Britons are changing their travel plans following temperatures of higher than 40C in holiday hotspots including Greece, Italy and Spain.

But traffic was building at the Port of Dover yesterday, with 3,000 cars expected before 10am on Saturday.

Natasha Wynarczyk