The Easter getaway will start this Friday – some two weeks early – as millions of families take to the roads when the schools break up.
Figures from the RAC suggest some 14m leisure trips will be taken by car between this Friday – the day when most schools finish for Easter – and the end of the weekend. Friday itself is expected to be busiest with some 5.3m individual getaways planned, in addition to all the usual weekday commuter and commercial traffic. This will be followed by Saturday and Sunday when some 5m and 4m leisure trips will take place respectively.
The RAC is also warning that drivers should also expect a second substantial wave of congestion for the Easter bank holiday weekend a fortnight later.
To add to the issues of traffic, the RAC is also warning of weather complications as the beginning of the school holidays looks likely to be unseasonably cool, with even the possibility of some snow over higher ground in the north. And although temperatures are expected to return to nearer the seasonal norm as we move into next week it will be far from wall-to-wall sunshine, with April showers affecting many parts of the UK.
RAC traffic spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “With the Easter bank holiday falling so late this year we are expecting to see a double wave of getaway traffic – firstly at the end of this week, and then again two weeks later for the four-day weekend.
“This can be a busy time of year for our patrols so we strongly urge motorists to check over their vehicles before they set out. This is particularly important for people driving long distances. Spending just a few moments to check oil, coolant, together with tyre tread depth and pressures, can mean the difference between a long but completed journey and one disrupted by an inconvenient, and perhaps preventable, breakdown that ruins the start of a holiday.”
