Drivers Face 'Worst Traffic Jam Of The Year'
12:00am UK, Friday October 23, 2009
The start of the school half-term holidays and bad weather are likely to lead to the worst traffic congestion of the year this weekend, it is predicted.
The M25 is expected to be very busy
The AA expects a build-up of queues on roads to airports and on major routes from 10am this morning with the heaviest congestion from 3pm onwards.
The motoring organisation predicts that 15 million cars will take to the roads and congestion will go up by a fifth.
Heavy showers are forecast across the UK this weekend, as families head abroad - their last chance of a break in the sun before Christmas.
Drivers have also been warned of the darker evenings when the clocks go back on Sunday.
"After a disappointing summer, and now that the autumn drizzle is upon us, we're expecting many families to head to sunnier climes for a few days," the AA's Stewart Topp said.
People are also jetting off abroad
"Unless you really need to hit the road on Friday, it would be best to delay heading off till later on Saturday when the traffic should be quieter - the last thing you need on a long journey is the kids whining as you sit in stationary traffic."
Last year, the AA attended more than 100,000 breakdowns over half-term - up to 25% busier on certain days.
An AA spokesman told Sky News Online that the best way to cope with a difficult journey was to "plan ahead and leave plenty of time".
"The usual routes are expected to be clogged up, basically just because of the large amount of vehicles on the most popular routes," he said.
"Lots of people go on trips to the West and North West and inevitably that part of the M25, say, is very slow."
