Drivers warned to expect busiest May bank holiday for years
Around 15 million separate leisure trips are expected to be made this weekend
Last updated 30th Apr 2021
This could be the busiest May bank holiday weekend on the roads since 2016.
The RAC is warning that now the 'Stay at Home' message is a thing of the past, nearly 15 million separate leisure trips are likely to be made by car between today (Friday 30th April) and Monday 3rd May.
The driving organisation's research predicts that Saturday is likely to be the busiest day, followed by Friday and then Monday.
In a statement, the RAC said: "Despite the perhaps predictable arrival of what the Met Office expects will be cooler, more changeable weather than of late, drivers are still keen to take advantage of the recent easing of Covid restrictions to see friends and family or take day trips."
How many people will be travelling?
The figures indicate Saturday will be the busiest day of the weekend with the equivalent of 2.6m journeys planned, followed by Friday with 2.3m and bank holiday Monday with 2m.
But an additional 6.2m trips are due to be taken at some point over the weekend by drivers who aren’t sure which day they will be on the road – suggesting many might be waiting to find out exactly what the weather has in store.
It's likely to be much busier than Easter
The driving organisation say that after a very quiet Easter, we could be seeing a lot of traffic on the roads this weekend.
The RAC surveyed 1,000 drivers and the results suggested 62% more leisure trips are planned this coming bank holiday weekend than for Easter four weeks ago.
“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," RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said.
“It remains to be seen what effect the weather will have as meeting up in soggy parks and gardens may not prove quite so appealing.
"And if it’s too cold for a trip to the beach, then there could be a big uplift in visits to shops, cafes and restaurants with covered outdoor areas.
“Nonetheless, 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.”
Any drivers planning to hit the roads are being urged to carry out the usual pre-drive checks including of tyre pressure and wear and oil levels.