Overview

• Motorists have undertaken a record 13.9 million journeys between Monday and Thursday as school holidays began, creating severe midweek congestion on key routes.
• Friday will see about 2.7 million journeys, Saturday 3 million and Sunday 2.7 million, pushing the week’s total to roughly 26.9 million getaway trips.
• Transport analysts warn of delays up to 50 minutes on the M40, M1, M4 and M25 as holiday traffic continues to build through midweek into the weekend.
• The RAC’s Nick Mullender advises travellers to avoid peak hours, share driving duties and perform thorough vehicle checks to reduce delays and fatigue.
• Nextbase cautions that hazards such as ladybird swarms and heat-stressed wildlife could incur fines up to £5,000 and penalty points if drivers fail to react safely.