Easter on the roads expected to be busier than last year

Easter on the roads expected to be busy

Easter traffic is expected to be busier than last year, AA research shows. Up to 55% of the UK’s drivers will make a trip or go on an outing during the bank holiday – compared to 47% last Easter.

With nearly 20 million car-owning households in the UK, upwards of 11 million cars will take to the road at some stage this Easter.

The latest AA-Populus poll of 24,070 AA members (surveyed 8-15 March 2016) revealed that 55% of respondents plan to drive somewhere on holiday or an outing on Maundy Thursday (24 March), falling to 50% on the Good Friday (25 March). The Saturday will also be busy with 53% intending to take the car out.

Although Easter Sunday (27 March) is usually one of the quietest days on the roads, Easter Monday (28 March) will also be quiet. However, homebound travellers should expect traffic to pick up from lunchtime onwards.

Max Holdstock, AA patrol of the year, said: “Despite a more chilly Easter coming up, we expect more people to head out on the road. There will be a lot of pressure on the main getaway routes, particularly heading down to South-west England; and the likes of the M25, M1 and M6 are also going to be very busy.

“With around half planning to visit friends and family, there will be many people racking up quite large distances. For some, it will be their first long-distance car journey of the year, which can reveal underlying mechanical problems that didn’t manifest themselves during short winter trips.

“Do the essential checks on your car before heading off, paying particular attention to the tyres and adjusting the pressures for a heavy load, if required.

“Break up any journey more than three hours long. Take plenty of things to keep the kids entertained and, at the very least, a fully-charged mobile and atlas or sat-nav in case of any delays.”