01 Jun 2017
Posted by Barry Aldworth 
With an increase in the number of motorists on Irish roads expected over the June Bank Holiday weekend, the AA is calling on motorists to exercise additional caution when driving in the coming days.
In addition to typical bank holiday traffic, AA Roadwatch is advising that traffic levels are likely to increase in popular tourist destinations such as Adare, Carrick on Shannon and Naas. While rush hour traffic may be eased by the fact that most colleges and secondary schools will be closed, traffic volumes on Friday, June 2 will begin to pick up from 1pm in cities across Ireland as people leave work early to begin their Bank Holiday travels before easing again after 6pm.
“While the worst of the traffic will have eased by Friday evening, across the country there will be an increase in the number of people driving on routes that they may not be very familiar with this. For this reason, it’s important for all motorists to exercise additional caution when driving and also allow extra time when planning necessary journeys to avoid delays and frustration,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs stated. “When it comes to our roads we all have a shared goal of keeping them as safe as possible and planning your journeys in advance and taking extra care can go a long way towards achieving this.”
“Unfortunately, for whatever reason, we see an increase in drink-driving levels and other incidents of irresponsible driver behaviour on our road over Bank Holiday weekends. While we’re all entitled to enjoy the extra day off there is no excuse for driving while drunk or at excessive speeds.”
With an increase expected in the number of people undertaking lengthy journeys, the AA is also bracing itself for an increase in breakdowns over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
During the 2016 June Bank Holiday weekend AA Rescue attended to an average of over 250 breakdowns a day, while responding to 438 breakdowns on Tuesday, 7 June as many motorists who hadn’t used their car over the weekend returned to work.
“During any Bank Holiday we tend to see an increase in breakdowns, and this is especially true for the June weekend. Many people will visit family or undertake longer journeys than they normally would and with more cars on our roads we see a spike in breakdowns,” says Conor. “However, the Tuesday following the June Bank Holiday tends to be one of the busiest days of the year in terms of breakdowns as people return to work, so even if you’re not planning a lengthy journey it can be a good idea to give your car a quick once-over to avoid any panic on the first day back.”
