The summer holidays are well and truly underway, which will involve at least a few long car journeys. In fact, there will be some days when it feels like most of the country is heading in the same direction at precisely the same time.
Highways England carried out an internet survey, which revealed some interesting facts about our summer holiday travel habits.
For example, almost 60% of holidaymakers were planning on travelling on a Friday or Saturday. During peak getaway times, there can be more than 5,000 vehicles every hour leaving London via the M3. 4,000 per hour will be heading up the M6 towards to Lake District, with the same amount making their way through Somerset on the M5. And if you’re going anywhere near the seaside or any other major tourist destination this summer, you are likely to come across a lot of traffic doing exactly the same thing.
Unless you enjoy sitting in traffic jams (is there such a person?), it would be very wise to plan your journey to minimise the chances of spending more time in the car than on your holiday.
Here are our top tips:
Setting off
During the summer holidays, most campsites, holidays parks and self catering accommodation enforces a Friday or Saturday arrival, but if you are able to avoid those days, we would thoroughly recommend doing so. It would also be wise to travel early or late so you don’t end up having to deal with commuter traffic on top of the holiday jams.
Find out how long it will take to reach your destination and then work your timings back from then. Take into consideration the busy traffic – if it’s mean to take three hours, allow for four.
If it is a long journey or you are travelling with younger children, plan a break – perhaps a lunch stop of somewhere with some outside space such as a playground so they can get rid of that pent-up energy.
Check your car
It’s all very well making sure you’ve packed your flip flops, bucket and spade and waterproofs (it is the UK after all!) but don’t forget to carry out those basic checks on your vehicle before you go – a breakdown would be a very stressful – and expensive – start to your summer holiday.
Essential holiday checks include:
- Tyre pressure and tread
- Engine oil levels
- Radiator coolant levels
- Screen wash levels
- Windscreen wipers
- Fuel levels
Are you using a roof rack or bike rack? Ensure it is properly secured – if anything falls off it’s not just inconvenient – it could be very dangerous to the traffic behind you.
Check the weather forecast
A hot day can make the driver more tired and passengers more irritable. If it looks like you’ll be travelling in warm weather, pack plenty of cold drinks and snacks and factor in some extra breaks.
On the flip side, wet and windy weather can increase the risk of accidents and slow down traffic, so you may want to allow more time to reach your destination.
Keep an eye on the traffic situation
No matter how well you plan your journey, traffic incidents still happen. Bad enough when the roads aren’t busy, but what could hold you up for a few minutes on a ‘normal’ day could set you back hours during peak travel times.
If you need to make a flight or ferry by a certain time, make sure you build in a safety margin just in case. No-one wants to sit in an airport for longer than they need to but it’s better than the alternative of missing your flight altogether.
Check the live traffic situations via Traffic England, which provides up-to-the-minute updates on England’s motorways and major A-roads.
Concerned your car isn’t up to the journey?
A broken down car on your holidays is not something anyone wants. If you are worried your car isn’t up to the job, pop it along to M&BM Motors and we’ll carry out the necessary checks to ensure that you and your family are safe and comfortable during your summer travels.
Call us today on 01375 379401 or use our contact form to make an enquiry.
