MILLIONS of people across the country will be packing up their car and heading home for Christmas.
But it won’t all be Chris Rea and rosy-cheeked children sleeping peacefully in the backseat – Manic Monday is set to cause travel chaos for homebound motorists.
The AA predicts that a whopping 22.7 million drivers will be on the road on December 23 and has issued amber warnings for certain spots.
National Highways will be removing roadworks on 95 percent of the roads they manage to make journeys smoother.
Some of the hotspots to avoid include the M1 Junction 10 to 15a between Luton and Northampton and the M42 Junction 3a to Junction 8 along the M40 to M6 interchanges.
There is also expected to be heavy traffic on the A64 around York, the A303 around Stonehenge, the M5 Junction 16 to 25 between Bristol and Taunton and the A34 from Oxford to Newbury.
According to the AA, the fact that Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday this year may help to spread festive journeys.
The most common reason for travelling this festive period is visiting family and friends with around three-quarters driving home for Christmas and giving this as a reason for their trip.
A spokesperson for the AA said: “If you’re doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, many retailers will be happy to let you leave your items to collect later, rather than make repeated trips back to your car – thieves love Christmas and thefts of items from cars also rises in December.
For people who don’t celebrate Christmas, it may be worth noting that the quietest days on the roads will be Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Weather also plays a key factor in the crammed roads over the festive periods.
The current Met Office predictions are for an unsettled Christmas with wetter and windier weather, although snow can’t be ruled out on higher ground.
Temperatures are expected to be the usual levels for this time of year.
Breaking down on the way to the family gathering is one of the biggest worries for most motorists, but the AA has revealed some tips to help if you find yourself in a pickle.
“If the worst should happen, and your car breaks down, our patrols can get to you quicker by knowing your exact location. This can be done by reporting your breakdown on The AA App, which can pinpoint your location,” the AA states on its website.
“Additionally, you can use the what3words app, which splits the country into 3m2 sections, giving each section a unique set of three words,” it added.
Essentials like extra warm and waterproof layers, water, a torch, an atlas or a sat-nav are all recommended to help ease the stress if you do break down.
