The great Platinum Jubilee weekend getaway – Automotive Blog

The extra-long Jubilee bank holiday weekend will see drivers make an estimated 19.5m leisure journeys by car, research from RAC Breakdown suggests.

In the region of 3.6m leisure trips by car are expected to be made on the Friday bank holiday (3 June), according to a study of 1,460 drivers’ travel plans, as day-trippers combine with families making their way back home at the end of the half term break.

Bank holiday Thursday is likely to be the next busiest day (3.3m) followed by both Saturday and the Wednesday preceding the bank holidays (2.6m each day).

An additional 5m will use their cars at some point over the full five days, boosting the overall numbers of cars clogging the roads.

Transport experts INRIX predict that traffic conditions could be worst in the mornings of the bank holidays and advise drivers to set off as early as possible or delay their trips until much later in the day to skip any jams.

Separate research by the RAC reveals that more than a third of drivers (37%) plan to stay close to home over the bank holiday rather than drive a considerable distance and of these, 11% say they won’t be driving far due to the high price of fuel which hit new records again last week.

A quarter (26%) meanwhile say they’ll only set out for a leisure trip by car if the weather turns out to be good.

The RAC is reminding drivers to check over their vehicles before setting out after separate research it carried out found that less than a fifth (17%) admit to always checking things like oil, coolant and tyres prior to a long journey, with nearly quarter (23%) never doing so at all. The remainder – 59% – say they check their cars only before some journeys.

“The best way for drivers to avoid breaking down this week is to check over their vehicles before setting out – yet our research shows less than a fifth do this routinely,” said RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis.

“Making sure oil, coolant and screenwash are all at the right levels takes just minutes, as does ensuring tyres are free of damage and are inflated properly. A bit of TLC now could make the difference between a straightforward trip and one beset by a breakdown.”