Summer getaway hell warning with 27MILLION drivers hitting road in just 6 days – check worst times to travel

BRITS face a hellish start to the summer getaway as its expected there will be 27million drivers on the roads over a six day period.

This coming Saturday, July 27, is predicted by the RAC to be the busiest day with 3.6m trips made by car.

(The M5, shown, around Bristol, is expected to be one of the worst routes for congestion.Credit: Alamy)

Between tomorrow and Sunday a staggering 13.9m journeys are due to happen, creating what the RAC has called a “weekend of woe”.

That means it is likely to be the second biggest summer getaway weekend since 2015.

Over the equivalent period in 2022, between July 22-24, 18.8m journeys were made, according to figures from the RAC and INRIX.

At the time it was extremely hot weather following two years of lockdowns caused by the Covid pandemic.

Last year, between July 21-23, 12.6m trips were done.

There are an expected 2.5m journeys to take place today.
The summer getaway got started on Tuesday, the day most schools break up for the summer holiday.

So-called “Frantic Friday” is expected to see a total of 3.2m trips being made as leisure and commuter traffic vie with each other for space on the roads.

Figures from INRIX shows traffic heading to major UK airports and staycation destinations will build from today onwards.

Delays of over half an hour are expected between the Chiswell Interchange near St Albans southbound to Gatwick Airport and the A303 eastbound between Ilminster and Andover, which carries traffic to London and the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth, where ferries leave for the Isle of Wight.

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “Anyone heading off on holiday on Saturday or Sunday should expect a ‘weekend of woe’ on the roads with journeys taking far longer than normal. If you can’t set off early, then it's highly likely you’ll be sitting in traffic for quite some time.

“Our research suggests this year’s getaway is set to be busier than average, possibly due to the UK inflation rate having slowed, giving people a bit more confidence to spend.

(This year's summer getaway is expected to be the second worst since 2015 (file photo). Credit: Alamy)

Ref: Summer getaway hell warning with 27MILLION drivers hitting road in just 6 days – check worst times to travel (thesun)

Photo Credit:  Alamy