Press release -
RAC warns of a long ‘Bad’ Friday on the roads this Easter
The RAC is warning anyone planning to getaway this Easter to expect a long ‘Bad’ Friday on the roads as over five million motorists take to their cars for some well-earned time away.
RAC Traffic Watch data shows a total of 16.8m car journeys will be made over the Easter weekend as people make the most of the long weekend visiting family and friends or enjoying a break in the spring weather somewhere different.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “Easter traditionally sees the first big getaway of the year but this time we are expecting an unprecedented number of cars to be using major roads for leisure trips.
“Some years Maundy Thursday before the Easter weekend can be exceptionally busy but this year Good Friday is the day everyone seems to be planning to head off which is why we are warning people to expect it to be a long, mad ‘Bad’ Friday on the roads.”
RAC Traffic Watch data predicts Thursday’s leisure trip* volume to be in the region of 3.3m with Saturday seeing 3.9 m journeys and Easter Sunday 4.2m. The peak day for return journeys will, of course, be the bank holiday Monday when we can expect 3.6m heavily packed cars to be heading for home. This means from Maundy Thursday to Bank Holiday Monday there will be over 20m cars using the country’s major roads either heading to or returning from getaway breaks.
Simon Williams added: “The usual main road arteries will inevitably suffer the consequences of so many people trying to getaway for the double bank holiday weekend by car. The advice has to be to head off as early as possible to beat other travellers and to expect heavy traffic and jams on major routes.”
Easter traffic hotspots
- M5 from Bristol to Taunton
- A303 Stonehenge
- A30 and A38 Exeter to Cornwall
- M4 between Cardiff and Swansea
- M25 between Gatwick and M1
- A23/M23 to Brighton
- A47 Swaffham to Great Yarmouth
- M55 between Preston and Blackpool
- A14 between Midlands and East Coast
- A66 between M6 and the coast
- M53 between Liverpool and Chester
Easter Getaway Peak Travel Times
| Date | Best travel times | Busiest travel time |
| Maundy Thursday 24 March | Before 4pm or after 8pm | 5-6pm |
| Good Friday 25 March | Before 9am and after 4pm | 12pm |
| Saturday 26 March | Before 10am and after 4pm | 12pm |
| Easter Sunday 27 March | Before 10am and after 4pm | 12pm |
| Bank Holiday Monday 28 March | Before 12pm and after 6pm | 12pm |
Highways England is finishing or pausing work on 208 roadworks projects covering around 450 miles over the bank holiday weekend which will mean 97% of routes will be unclogged by 6am on Thursday 24 March.
To help plan a journey, download the free RAC App for iPhone or Android smartphones or visit www.rac.co.uk to use RAC Route Planner, which gives the most up to date road information available including incidents and ongoing roadworks and weather.
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Notes to Editors
* Based on research conducted by Ragdoll in March 2016 with 1,542 motorists. Daily traffic volumes extrapolated from 30m licensed cars. Respondents were asked on which dates they would be using a car to travel on major A roads or motorways in order to get away on a leisure trip/visit family and friends, or return from such a trip (i.e. not travelling for the purposes of work).
About the RAC
With more than eight million members, the RAC is one of the UK's most progressive motoring organisations, providing services for both private and business motorists. Whether it's roadside assistance, insurance, buying a used car, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services or up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information – the RAC offers a solution for all motoring needs. The RAC is committed to making motoring easier, safer, more affordable and more enjoyable for drivers and road users.
The RAC is the motorist’s champion and campaigns to support the interests of its members and UK motorists at a national level, including advancing levels of road safety, supporting the needs of young drivers and voicing concerns about the increasing cost of motoring. The RAC’s annual Report on Motoring – first published in 1989 – provides a clear insight into the concerns and issues facing today’s motorists.
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