With upcoming train strikes set to leave more Brits driving home for Christmas this year, analysts have examined road traffic statistics to determine the odds that delays will occur on UK motorways in the lead up to the holiday.

2021 saw almost 18 million cars hit the road as drivers made the commute to see their loved ones in time for the festive celebrations (Source: AA), despite the fact that more than 600,000 Brits were being forced to isolate during this period (Source: The Guardian).

This year, the AA has forecasted a slight decrease on this statistic, with 17,845,855 commuters projected to be on the road on both Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th December.

Ahead of Brits’ drive home for Christmas, analysts at KingCasinoBonus.uk have examined data on the busiest UK motorways throughout the holiday season to predict where and when Brits are most likely to experience increased delays and journey times on their festive journeys.

Which motorway is most likely to experience the highest volume of delays this Christmas?

The research indicates that traffic is set to increase by 2.94 times in the lead up to Christmas, with the M25 (or London Orbital Motorway) expected to be the busiest motorway in the UK. Whilst the average daily volume of traffic reaches over 216,000 on this route (Source: GOV.UK), this is expected to reach more than 635,000 this Christmas. This equates to an impressive 3.56% of total traffic this festive season.

Another highly congested route is estimated to be the M60, in which daily traffic across Greater Manchester is likely to rise from 180,501 to around 530,809 cars (Source: GOV.UK), accounting for 2.97% of total Christmas commuters.