Bad news for UK drivers this August bank holiday weekend
Key Points
- RAC forecasts 20 million leisure trips from Friday 28 to Monday 31 August
- Busiest bank holiday on UK roads since records began in 2015
- 'Frantic Friday' carries 4.1 million trips, the peak of the weekend
- M5 south near Bristol faces the worst delays at up to 75 minutes
- A petrol tank now costs £89 against £74 a year ago
Drivers face the busiest bank holiday on UK roads in 11 years, with the RAC forecasting 20 million leisure trips between Friday (28 August) and Monday (31 August).
The figure marks the highest volume of traffic on the UK’s motorways and major roads since the RAC began keeping records for the weekend in 2015.
Friday is set to be the busiest day, with 4.1 million trips planned as drivers start the long weekend early, a peak the RAC has labelled ‘Frantic Friday’.
A further 5.5 million drivers intend to travel at some point across the four days but have yet to settle on which one.
| Day | Predicted leisure trips | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 28 August | 4.1 million | Busiest single day; regular commuter traffic adds to the getaway |
| Saturday 29 August | 3.8 million | Second busiest day of the weekend |
| Sunday 30 August | 3.1 million | Quietest of the four days |
| Monday 31 August | 3.4 million | Day trippers mix with drivers returning home |
| Undecided | 5.5 million | Spread across Friday to Monday |
Where the traffic will hit
Transport data firm INRIX expects the M25 anticlockwise from junction 17 to junction 12 to hold up traffic for as long as 50 minutes around midday on Friday, with a second squeeze on junctions 15 to 19 of the London orbital at about 21h30 as commuters join the exodus.
The worst single stretch of the weekend runs through the South West, where the M5 south from junction 15 at the Almondsbury interchange near Bristol to junction 23 for Glastonbury could add up to 75 minutes to a journey at around 12h00 on Friday.
Sunday’s heaviest delays shift east, with the M1 south from junction 16 for Daventry to junction 6 for St Albans facing hold-ups of up to 70 minutes at about 15h00.
On bank holiday Monday, INRIX forecasts the longest queues on the M5 north from junction 11 for Cheltenham and Gloucester to junction 1 for Birmingham and West Bromwich at around 19h00, and on the M5 north from junction 25 for Taunton to junction 15 at about 15h30, both adding up to 45 minutes.
The cost of fuel
Data from the RAC shows that fuel costs have reshaped the plans of almost a third of drivers, with 32% saying prices at the pumps changed what they intend to do this weekend.
Filling a typical petrol car now costs £89, up from £74 a year ago, while a tank of diesel costs £100 against £79 last year, an increase the RAC attributes to the conflict in the Middle East.
Only 13% have abandoned their weekend plans outright over the cost of fuel, while the remainder are absorbing the expense elsewhere.
Some 8% are keeping their plans and cutting back on accommodation and eating out instead, 5% are making a shorter trip than they first intended and 3% are sharing fuel costs by travelling with others. Just 3% will find an alternative to driving altogether.
“With record numbers making a getaway over the bank holiday, it looks like Brits are buoyed by the persistent warm and dry weather and are more confident in making plans for the late summer bank holiday weekend – which is quite often a washout,” said Harriet Hernando, Breakdown Spokesperson at the RAC.
“Drivers should be ready for ‘frantic Friday’ and think about setting off before 10am if they can. If the warm weather continues, people should be prepared in case they get caught in a traffic jam, by carrying plenty of water,” she said.
Hernando pointed drivers towards basic checks before setting off, including oil and coolant levels with the engine cold, tyre tread and pressures, and any warning lights or existing faults that a garage or mobile mechanic should look at first.
