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Easing of travel restrictions and promise of settled weather expected to see jump in number of motorists taking to the roads this weekend

Almost 11 million extra car journeys are expected to be taken this bank holiday weekend, with predictions that the lure of good weather could push that number even higher.

Drivers are being urged to plan ahead and give themselves extra time to complete their journeys with congestion and delay expected along key routes as families look to make the most of the easing of lockdown restrictions and the forecast sunny weather.

Saturday and Monday are expected to be the busiest days on the road, with an estimated 1.97m extra leisure journeys each day. Around 1.64 million additional trips are also expected on both Friday and Sunday. However, the RAC’s projections also suggest a further 3.6m drivers are planning to head out and about this bank holiday but have not decided when.

Traffic levels are expected to spike on Saturday and Monday

The survey of drivers’ intentions by the motoring organisation found that drivers were increasingly confident to drive longer distances to see friends and family as Covid restrictions ease. Only one in 10 drivers said they weren’t planning leisure trips this weekend due to the pandemic, compared with 18 per cent over the early May bank holiday and 25 per cent over Easter.

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Bank holiday traffic: 11m extra journeys predicted as drivers warned to expect delays