Worst time to travel home over Christmas revealed

Posted by author December 20, 2024 Travel

Christmas traffic could cause congestion with queues of more than 40 minutes (Picture: George Cracknell Wright)

Millions of people will drive around the country to visit family and friends over the Christmas period.

It’s prompted the AA to issue an amber warnings between now and Christmas eve due to the risk of congestion.

But one day stands out as busier than the rest, according to data compiled by the RAC and transport analytics company INRIX.

Setting off too early or too late could see you stuck in traffic jams, with wait times of 43 minutes expected on the M3, M25, M23 and M53 today.

Dubbed ‘Frantic Friday’, nearly three million separate car trips are predicted to be made, on top of usual commuter traffic.

Saturday is expected to be even worse, with more than 3.7million trips by cars.

But it’s Christmas Eve on Tuesday that nabs the top spot, with nearly 3.8million trips expected in a last minute rush before the big day.

That follows roughly 5.7million trips across Wednesday and Thursday this week, with a midweek Christmas day causing ‘an extended period of pre-Christmas panic’, according to the RAC.

Most journeys are expected to be less than 50 miles, according to the AA.

Travellers at Heathrow airport ahead of Christmas, London. December 20, 2024. Drivers are being told to prepare for — Some people are sneaking off for sunny Christmas abroad (Picture: Tony Kershaw / SWNS)

Travellers on the M25 motorway, ahead of Christmas, London. December 20, 2024. Drivers are being told to prepare for — Today is so busy on the roads it’s been dubbed ‘Frantic Friday’ (Picture: Tony Kershaw / SWNS)

Sunday and Monday will see around three million trips each.

Travellers seeking a Christmas in the sun will make the M25 clockwise between the M1 near Watford and and the M23 to Gatwick Airport a key spot for congestion.

Other hotspots are the M3 in Surrey and Hampshire, and – the worst of them – the M53 northbound from Chester to Liverpool.

So when are the worst times to travel in the coming days?