Garmin warns of traffic hot spots and urges families to plan ahead for Jubilee weekend

The Jubilee weekend – when thousands of people all over the country will be celebrating with their friends and family the Queen’s 60 year reign.  Great news for celebrations – bad news for drivers hoping to get from A to B as fast as possible.

The team at Garmin, the global leader in satellite navigation, have done some research to find out how many Brits will be taking to the road this bank holiday, finding that 72% of the UK will be travelling within 25 miles away from home over the weekend therefore increasing the chance of a large amount of local traffic. 

Surprisingly nearly a half of Londoners are intending to travel out of London for the Jubilee celebration with 67% of those surveyed travelling by car over the weekend, again indicating a high chance of congestion.

Anthony Chmarny from Garmin says: “The Jubilee bank holiday is sure to be a fantastic weekend but the last thing we want to be doing is sitting in traffic, wasting precious time or looking for quick routes to escape the crowds.”

Together with the Highways Agency, Garmin is advising families to check traffic and weather before they set out and to plan their journeys.

Anthony says: “I recommend anyone hitting the roads this bank holiday to plan ahead.  As the weather has been so good, this will undoubtedly encourage more people to enjoy trips away, making it even more important to leave earlier than anticipated and plan your route.  Think about the roads that attract the most crowds and try to avoid them by doing some research before you leave. 

“As we all know, the weather has been very changeable of late and rain and strong winds can make any journey more difficult, so allow more time, keep your speed down and ensure your vehicle is in tip top condition.

“Importantly, don’t get stressed in traffic.  If you have a Sat-Nav with up-to-date maps you can easily look for alternate routes to travel as you’ve got a trust worthy source that will lead you to your destination.”

The Highways Agency, which manages motorways and major A-roads in England, is lifting almost nine out of ten roadworks to help people on their way – but most holiday congestion is caused simply by so many people heading for the beach at the same time and that’s where Garmin can help.

Roads anticipated to be most busy this weekend are the traditional holiday routes including the M5 and routes to the West Country, the M6 through Lancashire towards the Lakes, main roads to the south coast and the M20 towards the Channel ports.  These are expected to be busier than usual on Friday evening, with holiday traffic peaking by lunchtime Saturday.  Over the weekend there are also expected to be crowds heading to London where there are some road closures associated with Jubilee events.

Garmin’s range of state-of-the-art Satellite Navigation systems have 3D Live Traffic technology that provides you with the best all-round view of the traffic situation at any given moment – an essential for anyone embarking on a road trip over the summer months.  Route information is checked every 30 seconds and updated every 2 minutes, meaning that you are able to find out about incidents as they happen and take action to avoid them.  The system includes updates from the Highways Agency control rooms and technology built into the English motorway network.

This month Garmin announced that it has sold more than 100 million of its products to motorists, pilots, boaters, runners, cyclists, golfers, hikers and geocachers – who all depend on Garmin to help show them the way.

For more information on Garmin’s Live 3D Traffic technology click here.

For a full range of products from Garmin click here.

About Garmin International Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin at www.garmin.co.uk or contact the Media Relations department at +44(0)2380524000. Garmin and Vector are registered trademarks and ANT+ and Garmin Connect are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

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Highways Agency information:

 For more summer driving advice from the Highways Agency please click here or for Jubilee bank holiday roadworks, click here