Worst times to drive this weekend revealed as 20million cars to hit the roads on busiest bank holiday in 11 years

THE worst times to drive this weekend have been revealed with 20million cars expected to hit the roads. Motorways and major roads around the UK could see the highest volume of traffic in 11 years, potentially causing long delays. Friday will be the worst day to travel with over four million drivers on the roads Credit: Getty Motoring services company RAC has revealed that the last bank holiday weekend of the year, set to have non-stop sunshine, could see the highest level of traffic since its records began in 2015. The experts estimate the busiest day will be Friday, aptly dubbed “Frantic Friday”, with more than four million journeys expected to be made. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Increased Friday traffic could clog up major roads such as the M25 anticlockwise between Junction 17 to 12 with delays of up to 50 minutes from midday. Many are expected to head to the coast this weekend, meaning the M5 South from Junction 15 at the Almondsbury Interchange near Bristol to Junction 23 for Glastonbury could experience heavy traffic. Its predicted delays of 75 minutes could begin from around 12pm on Friday. The RAC also warned that Junctions 15 to 19 of the London orbital could also be badly affected at around 9.30pm as people make their bank holiday journeys after work. Saturday is predicted to be the next busiest day with 3.8million vehicles hitting Britain’s roads, followed by Monday with an estimated 3.4million trips to be made. The RAC expects the increased traffic on Monday will be a result of day trippers making the most of a Monday off work, as well as people returning from a weekend getaway. Most read in Motors Worst times to travel this bank holiday weekend Friday, August 28 – 4.1million trips expected to be made, with worst time to travel between 10am and 7pm Saturday, August 29 – 3.8million trips expected to be made, with the worst time to travel between 10am and 4pm Sunday, August 30 – 3.1million trips expected to be made, with the worst time to travel between 12pm and 4pm Monday August 31 – 3.4million trips expected to be made, with the worst time travel between 11am and 4pm It could see long delays on the M5 North from Junction 11 for Cheltenham and Gloucester to Junction 1 for Birmingham and West Bromwich at around 7pm, with 45minute queues. And in the South West, similar length of delays are expected on the M5 North from Junctions 25 for Taunton to Junction 15. On Sunday, 3.1million trips could be made with the M1 South from Junction 16 for Daventry to Junction 6 for St Albans to potentially suffer with delays of up to 70 minutes from around 3pm. A survey by the RAC suggests a total 5.5million drivers plan to travel between Friday and Monday but haven’t decided which day yet. RAC breakdown spokesperson Harriet Hernando said: “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 wash-out. “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. “Drivers should do everything they can to avoid their cars letting them down; checking oil and coolant when the engine is cold are two simple things that can cut the chances of a serious breakdown, as is ensuring tyres have plenty of grip and are inflated to the correct pressures. “Any warning lights on the dashboard or pre-existing problems should be checked by a reputable garage or by making an appointment with an RAC Mobile Mechanic – many of whom are available to book last-minute.” Comment now