Fleet operators and company car drivers are being told to expect a busy weekend on the roads over the August bank holiday weekend.

The RAC is estimating there will be 1.8 million leisure trips more taken by car this weekend than over the same bank holiday weekend last year, equating to some 18 million leisure trips in total.

AS a result, it is warning that the some of the country’s most popular roots could become gridlocked, especially as post-Covid traffic levels have begun to return to normal.

The RAC says that Friday will experience the largest volume of cars on the road with an estimated 5.6m separate trips planned, followed by Saturday (4.7m) and bank holiday Monday (4.4m).

Sunday looks a little quieter with the equivalent of 3.7m leisure journeys by car expected, according to RAC Breakdown data.

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “Our research indicates that millions of us are still desperate to eke out the last of the summer and enjoy time away, whether that’s a day trip to see friends or family or a long weekend in a caravan or camping.

“In fact, it may even turn out to be busier on the roads than last year with many more people returning home this weekend after a staycation.

“Both official Government statistics and our own data from insurance customers show that weekend traffic is now back to pre-lockdown levels.”

The RAC’s own numbers of people breaking down are also around where it would expect them to be for late August.

Separate RAC research conducted at the start of August suggested a total of around 45m daytrips would be taken by drivers this month, with more than a quarter of drivers (28%) saying they planned on taking more daytrips than last year.

The latest research suggests a large proportion of these trips might well be being taken this coming weekend.

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