A ‘crescendo of cars’ warning has been issued for anyone who is thinking about getting behind the wheel this May Day bank holiday weekend.

This month officially kickstarts the annual bank holiday run for Brits with millions of us enjoying an extra day off on Monday (6 May) and with that, praying the recent warm weather holds up so we can ask the question we all know the answer to – ‘beer garden, anyone?’

But a significant warning has been issued for anyone driving between Friday (3 May) and the bank holiday Monday itself.

Breakdown specialists at the RAC are behind it, alongside traffic analysts at INRIX, so it’s one that should probably be listened to if you are motoring about somewhere.

And well, it’s bad news if you do need to drive.

A staggering 16 million of us are expected to get behind the wheel on Friday alone, with another 4.9 million over the weekend and then 5.6 million on the Monday. That’s a lot of motorists.

As a result, INRIX is warning you against driving at specific times across the four days. As well as this, it has offered its best windows to drive if you do have to drive.

They’ve also mentioned some of the worst areas of the UK to be driving which should be avoided at all times, if you can.

Cars bumper to bumper will be a common sight (Getty Stock Images)

Listen to the experts

RAC Breakdown spokesperson, Alice Simpson, said: “With COVID travel restrictions a thing of the past, catching up with friends and family is still the first priority for nearly half of drivers making leisure trips over the bank holiday.

“Since 2022 – the first full year since mobility restrictions lifted – drivers appear to be much more eager to make the most of the May Day weekend, with the total number of getaway trips this year far exceeding the average since 2017.

“We’re anticipating a ‘crescendo of cars’ on the road over the weekend with as many as 3m motorists making leisure trips on Saturday alone. In addition to the majority of motorists planning day trips and short breaks, our data shows local routes to city and out-of-town shopping centres could see heavy traffic, so it’s best to head out early morning or evening if possible.

“For those extending their long weekend breaks into next week, it’s important to plan return journeys in advance as the train strikes between Tuesday 7 and Saturday 11 May will inevitably lead to roads being busier. Industrial action can throw best-laid travel plans into chaos and many commuters who normally rely on the trains instead take to the roads, so our advice is to avoid driving at peak times of day if you can.”

Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said: “Although delays won’t be as severe as Easter, drivers should expect the lengthiest hold-ups on major roads to and from popular destinations this weekend.

“Delays will likely peak on Friday afternoon with some areas seeing usual travel times double as holiday drivers vie for space on the roads with commuters.”

Massive queues are expected across the UK’s motorway network (Getty Stock Images)

Best and worst times to travel across the May bank holiday weekend

On Friday, 3 May, the RAC and INRIX say avoid travelling between 11am and 6pm, instead focus on setting off before 9am.

On Saturday, 4 May, the worst time to travel is 9am to 2pm. After 5pm is your best bet.

On Sunday, 5 May, 10am to 3pm is the red flag zone. Again, after 5pm is the optimum time to get in the car if you have to.

And on Monday, 6 May, don’t drive between 10am and 3pm. The advice remains the same, with after 5pm being your best slot for a return journey to wherever you’ve come from.

Smart motorway queues (Getty Stock Images)

Areas of the UK to avoid driving across the bank holiday weekend

The M53 southbound is one to avoid, between Liverpool and Chester, especially with Cheshire Oaks shopping village in the area. Delays here are expected to begin on Thursday.

The busiest route will be the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton on Friday afternoon where travel is expected to take nearly two hours longer than usual due to getaway and commuter traffic combining.

Most major routes across the south and south west are likely to take an average of 50% longer than usual to drive on Friday afternoon, while on bank holiday Monday itself, parts of the north west, East Anglia and south west will be hardest hit by returning traffic.

Jams are predicted on the M55 eastbound between Blackpool and Preston from 11am, Cornwall to Exeter eastbound on the A30 and A38 from 11.30am and Norwich to Thetford on the A11 southbound from 12.15pm.

Changes to the United Kingdom as a result of Brexit are still being felt today, with Brits leaving the country and heading to Europe set to have their fingerprints scanned for the first time ever this year.

2016 was a huge year in determining the future fortunes of the UK, with more than half of all adults voting to leave the European Union (EU).

It’s an issue that to this day divides families, neighbours, and friends, with it one of the closest fought issues in recent history.

And whether you voted to stay or leave, the outcome is the same for all.

And that includes massive changes to travel rules if you’re leaving the UK by sea or plane.

The UK has already said goodbye to the EU’s principle of freedom of movement between all member states; it was one of the key issues that decided how people voted in both directions.

A very big reality of that is dealing with longer passport queues.

Many of us have been there, where we’ve jetted off to a European destination and watched our European friends pretty much walk straight through, while us Brits form an orderly queue that takes far too long to be dealt with. Not ideal.

Now, thanks to a new EU travel system, we’ll have to jump through more hoops to travel to three of Europe’s most popular destinations.

Fingerprint scans will be a requirement for travel (Getty Stock Images)

What’s happening?

The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is set to be introduced across the EU with it directly impacting UK citizens and those of other non-EU countries.

Replacing the current method of stamping passports, the system is meant to be able to track a person every time they cross the border in to an EU country, including at passport control or arriving by ferry.

It’ll mean your name and type of travel document will be recorded. And that’s alongside your biometric data; that being your facial image and fingerprint.

All of this will be time, date, and location stamped and form a record for both being welcomed to a country and denied entry.

Passport control is changing for Brits visiting any EU country (Getty Stock Images)

What does it mean in reality?

The EES will help the EU keep track of those who might have overstayed their welcome in the political and economic area.

The EU says the current system of stamping passports ‘does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers’. Therefore it is likely to help the EU stop people moving around the Bloc for longer than they are legally allowed to.

Post-Brexit rules mean that Brits are now capped at a 90 day stay in the 27 EU countries in any 180 day period.

If you have a passport to any of these 27 EU countries – officially called the Schengen Area – the rules wont apply to you: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Passport control in Spain (Getty Stock Images)

When will it come in and what happens if you break the rules?

The EES is set to go live in October 2024, after having been delayed from an original 2022 launch.

It’ll then apply if you visit any of the 27 EU members including British favourites Spain and France.

If you overstay your welcome, you could get banned from visiting any EU country. The EU says: “A non-EU national who stays in the Schengen area beyond 90 days (without a residence permit or long-stay visa) is illegally present, which can result in a re-entry ban to the Schengen area.

“Working in the Schengen area without a work permit is also illegal (even if less than 90 days) and can likewise result in a re-entry ban to the Schengen area. Depending on the Member State administrative penalties may also apply.”

While flying taxis might seem like something out of science fiction there are plans in the UK for the first ones to launch in as little as two years time.

The possibility that one day where you’re going you won’t need roads could become a reality startlingly soon.

That’s because today (18 March) the Department for Transport announced the government’s Future of Flight action plan.

Basically this thing sets out a roadmap for the introduction of drones and flying vehicles to British life – with the current plan being for the first flying taxi to take off in 2026 and for them to become a regular service by 2028.

Wedged in between those dates is the year 2027, which is when the government hopes drones will be whizzing across our skies and making regular deliveries.

It sounds like you’d better enjoy the view of the skies before it gets choc-a-block with everyone’s Amazon orders.

John Keeble/Getty Images

Of course this is coming from a government that isn’t going to last until 2026 since there’ll be a general election before then.

Then again, the roadmap suggests that embracing drones and flying taxis could boost the British economy by £45 billion by the end of the decade so it might be something for the next lot to consider.

Aviation and Technology Minister, Anthony Browne, said in a statement that they were ‘making sure the UK is at the forefront of this dramatic shift in transportation – improving people’s lives and boosting the economy’.

As for those flying taxi rides, while the plan is that for the first few years they will have pilots, the hope is that by 2030 there’ll be automated taxis being worked on so eventually you can just hop in a flying machine and trust the robot to get you where you’re going.

The Vertical Aerospace company in Bristol is already working on these flying taxis, while the Civil Aviation Authority is working on authorising them.

John Keeble/Getty Images

Also part of the package are plans for drones to be able to fly beyond where people can see them so as not to clutter up the skies.

There are also hopes that smaller aerodromes can be used for electric aircraft to take off and land at.

Drones are already being used by the police in the UK, as West Midlands Police last year used them to identify a number of violent offenders they say would have taken them hours to track down on foot.

So there you go people of Britain, in just a couple of years the plan is to have a flying taxi take off and a couple of years after that for them to be a regular service.

Then again, can you really expect a taxi to arrive on time?