Millions head for Christmas Getaway
Nearly four million Britons will be heading abroad for the festive period, with those staying at home promised a wet rather than a white Christmas.
Many of those heading overseas are taking advantage of bumper snow levels at ski resorts. Travellers seeking winter sun are choosing such destinations as the Canary Islands, Tunisia, Cuba and Mexico.
At home, roads are expected to be packed, although a number of major route roadworks have been completed or are being suspended during the festive period.
On the railways there are far fewer bus replacement services this Christmas than last. But major engineering work will mean restricted services on a key London to Scotland line – the West Coast – while some other routes will also be subject to alterations.
Forecasters said heavy rain would persist in many areas for much of the next few days, with temperatures well above normal and as high as 14C (57F) in southern England on Sunday.
Travel organisation Abta said popular overseas spots for new year revellers include Paris, Reykjavik, Rome, Dublin and New York.
Many hundreds of thousands will also travel across the English Channel by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel, with 160,000 heading off on high-speed trains run by Eurostar.
VisitEngland said that over the festive period as many as 12 million Britons intend to take at least one trip in the UK involving an overnight stay. These trips are likely to generate around £2.1 billion for the economy. Of those taking trips involving overnight stays, 35% said they are going to be away for longer than last Christmas.
Car insurance company Axa said that in the last three years accident claims for the period December 19-24 were 28% higher than for the rest of the month.
According to Halfords Autocentres, 59% of drivers ignore traffic reports and 36% do not check what weather they are likely to encounter on their travels.
A MoneySupermarket poll showed that 76% of drivers admitted taking their eyes off the road at some point, while 54% owned up to changing music while at the wheel, with 47% eating while driving.
Esure car insurance said as many as 23 million drivers could take to the roads over the holiday period, while an esure poll showed 33% dread the Christmas getaway, with 57% concerned about the weather and driving conditions and 41% worried about traffic jams.
Another survey, from Asda Money, revealed that 61% of motorists do not service their car before they hit the road in winter. Only 30% of drivers check the anti-freeze, only 17% test their tyres and 49% never check their oil.
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