Motorists hitting the roads for the August bank holiday should brace for long delays on major routes with nearly 18million getaway trips by car expected.
Drivers are being urged to set off early or be ready to spend longer in traffic if they plan to go away at the end of this week - the last long weekend before Christmas.
The RAC estimates 17.6million car trips will be made across the country from Friday to Monday, with the South East and South West due to have the worst congestion.
Some three million journeys for holidays or day trips are expected to be made on Friday by drivers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the motoring group said.
This rises to 3.4million on Saturday, 2.4million on Sunday and 2.7million on Monday. An extra 6.1million drivers will head off at some point between Friday and Monday.
