How to avoid the jams

Online you can go online for travel advice from the Highways agency, the RAC and the AA, as well as many local council websites.

By Phone

The Highways agency also provide traffic information by telephone (0870 660115) or you can call AA Roadwatch (09003 401100). The RAC provide a similar service (0906 4701740) as well as TrafficTV, which will send travel information and maps to your mobile.

Technology

Many car audio systems provide radio data service which will interrupt listening for traffic news updates and many satellite navigation systems will give you up to date traffic information and routes avoiding jams.

Choose your time

Remember the busiest times to travel are 7.30-9am Monday and 4-8pm Friday. October is the busiest month, with bank holiday Fridays creating up to 50% more traffic than a normal day.

By avoiding the traffic you can not only save time, but also reduce the likelihood of an accident as there are less vehicles rushing along the road. Fewer accidents lead to cheaper car insurance premiums and less jams to further delay the traffic!

Count the cost of jams (IYM)

Wasted time sitting in traffic costs the country £20billion, it is estimated. Up to 182m working days are spent sitting in traffic queues, with the worst areas being parts of the M25, M5, M6 and the M4. The busiest A road award goes to the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge, all of which comes as know surprise to the average motorist.

By 2011 traffic is predicted to grow by up to 40%, rising to 70% by 2025, which presents a gloomy picture for our road users.The average peak time motorway speed has decreased from 64.5mph to 57.9mph in 8 years, which is often not helped by the use of temporary speed restrictions and traffic warnings. Some signs may relate to incidents which have since cleared or been incorrectly identified by sensors, adding to the congestion. Increased traffic increases the likelihood of accidents, the loss of no claims bonus, repairs to vehicles and increased car insurance premiums which add to the time cost for motorists.

One of the major gripes is the presence of traffic cones combined with a lack of workmen. According to the Highways Agency, up to 60% of work takes place at 'night' - between the hours of 7pm and 7am, although they admit that preparation work often needs to be done during 'day' hours.

Date - 15/09/2006