Rail strikes could lead to higher than usual traffic in the Christmas getaway, causing lengthy jams at traffic hotspots, including for business drivers still out on the roads.

The rail strikes may see many more drivers lured away from public transport and on to the roads

Almost 17 million cars are expected to travel on 23 December and Christmas Eve alone according to AA research, bringing the potential for bumper-to-bumper traffic. Planned railway worker strikes may add to the getaway mayhem as staff plan to walk out on Christmas Eve.

Couple this with possible engineering works on many lines across the country, and many more drivers may be lured away from public transport and on to the roads.

Business-based travel will remain high this week. The AA’s survey of more than 12,000 drivers found almost a quarter plan to travel for work on Thursday 15 December (25%) and Friday 16 December (24%), after which it drops off until the New Year.

But leisure travel will increase from the end of this week; a fifth (20%) say they are driving to do their Christmas shopping on Saturday 17 December, with one in 10 (12%) opting to use Christmas Eve as their final shopping day.

The main days for celebrating with friends and family this year will be Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Although 25 December will be one of the quietest days on the road, 44% of respondents say they’ll be travelling over these 24 hours.

 AA 2022 Christmas travel predictions

Likely traffic hotspots include the M25, the M5 between Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare and the M6 around Birmingham. In addition, stretches of the M1 ‘smart’ motorway from Luton northwards can often suffer congestion from incidents or breakdowns, as can the M62 and M60 in the North West. Both the M4 and the M27 are also set to suffer from significant delays.

Edmund King, AA president, said: “While 23 December and Christmas Eve look set to be the busiest travelling days, planned industrial action by rail service staff may lead to increased levels of cars on our roads. If you do plan to use the rail network, keep updated by checking train company websites to prevent your trip home for Christmas from hitting the buffers.”

He added: “New Year’s Day will be the quietest day on the roads which is probably a good thing especially if drivers have been partying the previous evening. Drivers can still be breathalysed and lose their licence for driving over the limit the morning after. So, remember if you are going to drive, don’t drink, and if you are going to drink, don’t drive.”