UK drivers will embark on an estimated 20 million car trips to see friends and family in the run-up to Christmas Day. The RAC said leisure traffic will build steadily from today (December 19) before peaking on Friday and Saturday.
Pressure on the roads will be heightened due to a strike by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail from 6pm on Christmas Eve. Train passengers are being urged to complete journeys as early as lunchtime on that day, meaning many people will opt for car or coach travel instead.
The RAC predicted 7.9 million getaway journeys will be made over the two days immediately before Christmas Day. The worst congestion on those days is expected to be between 10am and 7pm on Friday, and between noon and 1pm on Saturday.
