Drivers have been warned to brace themselves for heavy Boxing Day traffic as millions hit the roads to see family or make the most of the sales.
The AA estimated 19.7 million car journeys will be made across the UK on Boxing Day, with 22 million on Saturday.
Traffic levels are expected to be highest between 10am and 7pm, so drivers are being urged to set off outside that period if possible.
The RAC and transport analytics company Inrix have identified several likely congestion hotspots over the coming days.
They include:
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– The M25 clockwise from Junction 7 to Junction 16.
– The M25 anti-clockwise from Junction 17 to Junction 12.
– The M40 northbound from Junction 8A to Junction 10.
– The M1 southbound from Junction 16 to Junction 6.
– The M6 northbound from Junction 5 to Junction 10A.
A survey of more than 10,000 of its members suggested visiting family and friends is the main reason for festive car travel, cited by 60-63% of respondents asked about their plans for the 11 days up to and including January 5.
This is closely followed by shopping trips (47-52%), while work will account for 27-29% of journeys.
For Boxing Day, 49% of survey respondents said they will make a car journey of up to 50 miles, while 9% said they intend to travel further.
The AA estimated there will be 18.0 million car trips on New Year’s Day, which is lower than its expected total of 18.3 million for Christmas Day.
But traffic levels are expected to swiftly recover, reaching 20.7 million on January 2 and 22.0 million on January 5 when many people return to work and school.
Drivers in the south will be affected by the continued closure of the M27 motorway in both directions between Junctions 9 and 11 until 4am on January 4 for major works.
This is disrupting journeys between Southampton and Portsmouth.
Shaun Jones, AA expert patrol, said: ‘Throughout the festive season we see a real mix of activity on the roads.
‘Visiting family, picking up shopping and getting back into work all keep people moving locally, even when the long-distance trips are few and far between.
‘New Year’s Day stands out as the quietest moment in the whole period, giving drivers a rare chance to avoid congestion.
‘But the calm is short-lived. By January 2, traffic rebounds fast as work and school return, and breakdown call-outs rise sharply.’
Drivers not venturing out over the festive period are advised to get their cars ready for the new year by carrying out checks on their tyres, battery, screenwash and fuel level.
National Highways said it will lift more than 90% of roadworks on its network of motorways and major A roads in England by 6am on December 21, and they will not return before the early hours of January 2.
Pressure on the roads will be exacerbated by major disruption to rail services continuing for several days.
As usual, the entire network shuts down on Christmas Day and most operators will run no trains on Boxing Day.
Network Rail engineering projects on multiple sections of the West Coast Main Line will affect journeys to and from London Euston between Saturday and January 4, as well as journeys between Scotland and north-west England from New Year’s Day to January 14 inclusive.
Elsewhere on the network, no services will run between Stansted Airport and Cambridge North, or between Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge, up to and including January 3.
London Waterloo, one of the UK’s busiest stations, is closed to trains until the end of Sunday, and will have a reduced timetable up to the start of January 5.
In Scotland, services between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, and between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich, will only resume on January 2.
Some 95% of Britain’s railways will be unaffected by engineering work over the festive period, Network Rail said.
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