Driving Home for Christmas? You Could Face FOUR Hour Delays

• 20 million people expected on the roads
• Analysis warns of massive delays for travellers
• December 20th-22nd the worst days to travel
• Take alternative routes and avoid peak times

People heading home for Christmas have been warned that they could be stuck in traffic for up to four hours.

Over 20 million vehicles are expected to hit the roads over the festive period according to new analysis, which will cause congestion on Britain’s motorways.

The busiest period will be between 20th-22nd December, as drivers try to get an early start for their Christmas getaway.

Traffic information supplied by Inrix, who provided the analysis, reported a spike in number of online shopping deliveries will add to the already huge numbers of people visiting friends and families.

Delays are also expected on the 27th December, as people return from their Christmas breaks, and rush out to the high street sales.

In the 2016 festive period, traffic peaked at around 5pm on the Friday before Christmas, where they were more than 300 hold ups.

The roads expected to be the worst for traffic include the M25, the M1, and the M6.

Graham Cookson, chief economist at Inrix, said, “As we head into the Christmas period, when many use the roads to visit family and friends, we advise motorists to use the latest real-time traffic technology to keep up to date with the situations on the roads.

“Drivers would be well advised to take alternative routes, and avoid driving at peak times altogether.”

In order to help ease traffic, around 400 miles of roadworks will be lifted on motorways and major A roads from 6am on 2nd December, until midnight on 2nd January.

Latest Deals have put together the best ways to avoid being stuck in traffic this Christmas:

• Avoid Peak Times- travelling early in the morning or late at night will be the quietest times on the roads. If you don’t mind getting up early, or driving in the dark, this is an easy way to travel with less traffic, regardless of what date you drive on.
• Take Smaller Roads- although this can be risky, as smaller roads will clog up faster, it will avoid the masses who take motorways. Check the congestion on the route you plan on using beforehand.
• Choose a Quieter Day- the busiest days, between 20th-22nd December will be the worst days to travel. If you avoid these days, and leave your Christmas travelling to the last minute, or do it earlier, you can skip the traffic delays.
• Take the train- there have been delays and issues with train tickets in the run up to the Christmas period. But if you want to stay clear of roads, getting the train is the only real option to do this. Avoid peak times for a less busy train, and check that your train is running on time and hasn’t been cancelled.