The Highways Agency is urging families to plan their journey
and to check traffic and weather before they set off on their summer holiday.
With the majority of schools breaking up for the end of
term this week, extra traffic will be heading for the seaside and major ports –
especially on Friday and over the weekend.
As usual, staff at the agency’s control centres and
on-road patrols will be working round the clock to keep traffic moving. And the
agency will continue to provide information on current road conditions through
its range of
traffic information services to help drivers plan their journeys. Roads Minister, Mike Penning said:
“For many people this will be the longest car journey of
the year, often on an unfamiliar route and we want to help them to avoid
spoiling the start of their holiday.
“A few moments checking traffic conditions before you set
off could take a lot of stress out of the journey. There are also plenty of
ways to check for updates whenever you stop for a break, which you should do
every two hours.”
Other tips include making sure roof racks and bike
racks are well secured, taking care when towing a caravan, boat or trailer, not
running out of fuel and allowing plenty of time for the journey.
Families heading off on holiday can check live traffic
conditions from the Highways Agency website highways.gov.uk/traffic,
which is also available from mobile devices, an iPhone app that is free to download,
digital information screens at most motorway services or by tuning in to the
agency’s digital Traffic Radio.
This summer there are also live updates on Twitter.
Holidaymakers can follow @holidayroutes for information about
major events and there is a full index of Highways Agency services on the social
media site at highways.gov.uk/twitter
To feed its live traffic services the Highways Agency
collects data from thousands of traffic flow monitors, CCTV cameras and other
sources. This information is also passed on to third parties including the BBC,
local radio stations, media websites, Google Maps and TomTom.
More from Blue School Of Motoring: