With eased lockdown restrictions, many are likely to be going out and about this May bank holiday.
But with 62 per cent more leisure trips planned over this coming weekend than four weeks ago for Easter, the RAC is predicting possible delays and urging motorists to plan their journeys ahead to avoid congestion.
Figures from RAC Breakdown show that Saturday is set to be the busiest day of the weekend, with 2.6m journeys planned, compared to 2.3m on Friday and 2m on Monday. However, more than 6m additional trips are due to be carried out, with drivers not sure which day they’ll travel on.
Though the RAC is expecting busier roads than usual, a large number are not set to go anywhere due to Covid, with 19 per cent citing this as their reason for not doing any leisure journeys. This was down from 25 per cent over the Easter break.
RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “After what was one of the quietest Easters on the roads in years our figures suggest the easing of Covid restrictions has made a dramatic difference with millions more drivers planning to hit the roads.
“The prospect of queues on the roads – particularly leading to major shopping centres – looks far more likely this coming weekend, and we’d advise drivers to plan ahead and keep tuned to local traffic bulletins to find out if there’s any disruption.
“What’s more, given nearly a fifth of drivers we surveyed said they had yet to decide on which day over the long weekend they will be travelling, it might well be the case that the weather ends up playing a deciding role in which days end up being busiest. Any sunnier, warmer days could trigger many more people to jump into their cars.”
