If you’re planning to make the most of the Bank Holiday weekend and are setting off on tour, you won’t be alone, with the RAC suggesting there are as many as 16.7m trips planned – with delays likely to follow.

The research points to today (Friday 27th) being the busiest day, with 4.3m leisure journeys planned – transport analytics experts INRIX has suggested this could lead to a 25% rise in delays, in comparison to a typical August day. It is predicted that there will be 3.3m trips on Saturday, while Bank Holiday Monday will have 3m. In comparison, there will be 2.6m on Sunday.

Motorhome driving down a leafy lane

The figures also suggest there are going to be a further 3.6m trips over the long weekend, with the promised good weather leading to more spontaneous plans. 

The South West is expected to be the busiest part of the country, with 3.6m trips predicted in the region between today and Monday.

If you’re heading to the South West, you could also face long queues and delays this Bank Holiday, with INRIX data saying some of the classic routes in the M5 and A303 could face double the journey time. 

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis said:It’s been an incredibly busy summer on the UK’s roads with vast numbers of people on the move both for ‘staycation’ holidays and for day trips to the sea and countryside. Our figures suggest this is a trend that will continue, with bumper-to-bumper bank holiday traffic expected, especially on the most popular holiday routes.”

“While this weekend will see many people returning from summer holidays in the UK, the fine and settled weather will also be seen as an opportunity by lots of people to jump in their cars for last-minute trips – after all, this is the last bank holiday weekend in England, Wales and Northern Ireland before Christmas.”

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