00:00 It's the busiest time of year on Britain's roads this week, with 21 million journeys
00:07 expected as people set off to visit friends and family at Christmas time.
00:11 The RAC said getaway traffic will climb slowly at the start of the week, before jumping from
00:16 2.2 million trips on Thursday to 3.2 million on Friday, the last working day before Christmas
00:21 Day.
00:22 Some 13.5 million leisure journeys by car are expected between Friday and Christmas
00:26 Eve, up 20 per cent on the equivalent period last year.
00:30 But congestion is likely to peak on Friday, as drivers embarking on getaway trips compete
00:34 for road space with commuters and business traffic.
00:37 During the weekend before Christmas, between 12pm and 2pm is expected to be the busiest
00:41 time to travel on the roads, so drivers are advised to set out before 11am or after 6pm
00:47 to reduce their chance of being stuck in long queues.
00:49 RAC spokeswoman Alice Simpson advised drivers to carry out vehicle checks before setting
00:53 off, such as tyres, fuel, oil, coolant and screen wash.
00:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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