Thirteen million leisure trips are expected to be taken by car this coming weekend, the busiest in three years, according to research of drivers’ plans conducted by the RAC.
Friday is expected to be busiest with around 4.4m separate leisure journeys by car, 1.5m more than the same day last year, followed by Saturday (3.4m, up 900,000 on 2018) and the bank holiday itself (3.1m, up 1.2m on 2018).
The average price of petrol rocketed by a shocking 5.44p a litre in April making for the second worst monthly rise since 2000, adding £3 to the cost of filling up an average family car in one of the bleakest months in 20 years.
Data from RAC Fuel Watch shows a litre of unleaded shot up from 122.62p to 128.06p as retailers passed on wholesale price increases driven by a 5% jump in the cost of a barrel of oil which went up more than $3 to $72.50, having hit a high of $74.38 earlier in the month.
The new Civil Liability Act coming into force next April will make it harder and more expensive to prove genuine whiplash injuries in vehicle accidents, says skeletal expert Prof Francis Smith.
There are 1,500 whiplash claims a day in the UK costing insurers £2 billion annually, but the new law requirement will set a limit under which costs cannot be recovered so the clamp down on fraudsters is likely to be at the expense of genuine victims, he said.
Saga has a five-year partnership with the RAC, providing Saga members with an enhanced level of breakdown cover.
The partnership, which for Saga policy holders is effective from 1 May, provides RAC breakdown assistance services to those customers buying or renewing breakdown cover as a stand-alone policy or an add-on to their car, motorhome or caravan insurance policy and customers taking out new breakdown policies through RAC now benefit from being able to make unlimited breakdown claims in the UK.
France and Germany will invest and work together on development and production of European batteries to remain competitive against the United States and China, said Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.
They two countries will pour the equivalent of £1.03 Billion into their venture to assist their motor manufacturers struggling with rising development and materials costs.