[Marc]

It's nearly Easter - hooray!

Which means everyone jumps in their car and create massive traffic jams - boo!
OK maybe not everyone.... but it does feel like it.

Traffic data collected by the RAC suggests there will be 17 million car journeys made over the four-day Easter weekend.

No doubt the roads heading to the South West coast areas are a no-go.

What's the worst traffic jam you've been in? Any tips for avoiding them?

[Drivingforfun]

I'm of the opinion that if you want to travel at peak hours, and are unwilling to travel early morning or late at night when it's quieter, you just need to join the queue and put up with it.

Maybe too many have that attitude and that's is why there are queues in the first place!

Worst queue I've ever been in, not too bad actually, a 2 and a half hour standstill due to an accident just in front of me. I've heard of people queueing overnight and even abandoning cars so I feel I got off quite lightly. Touch wood.

Random question.

If you are stuck in an overnight standstill, would it be illegal to sleep in the car? I don't think you could do right by the law in that situation as if you stayed awake all night you could then be guilty of driving whilst unfit through lack of sleep! I suppose a level of discretion and reasonableness is applied in a situation like that.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Drivingforfun

Random question.

If you are stuck in an overnight standstill, would it be illegal to sleep in the car? I don't think you could do right by the law in that situation as if you stayed awake all night you could then be guilty of driving whilst unfit through lack of sleep! I suppose a level of discretion and reasonableness is applied in a situation like that.

I'm not sure I'd get much sleep... but do you mean folding seats down and trying to get a proper sleep? Surely not... it would be dangerous to be exhausted the following day and start driving when the jam clears

[Drivingforfun]

That was my thinking, Marc. I guess my question could extend to other aspects...how long do you have to sit alert at the wheel in a complete standstill before it's acceptable to use your phone? I know you're supposed to be awake and alert while at the wheel but in a 12+ hour total standstill, with no option to pull off into a services, I don't think I'd be physically or mentally capable of that.

[Rolebama]

I have been stationary a few times for over four hours through accidents or roadworks. (M40 and M25). The M6 south around J10 is quite horrendous as well. All journeys work-related. As to rush-hour traffic, I once had to travel from Kilmarnock to Edinburgh at 7.30 in the morning. There were two cars in front getting out of Kilmarnock, and only saw about six cars total on M8, but when I got to Edinburgh, the traffic getting in was as bad as it is here.
I think the Highways Agency has a lot to answer for in terms of closing all lanes of a motorway after the slightest incident.

[Santa]

The worst I ever had was back in the noughties. I was driving for a pharmaceutical wholesaler, based in the Black Country, and had done some deliveries around East London. It started snowing as I set off back to civilization, but I wasn't worried as most of the drive was motorway. M25, M11, A14, M6.

Somewhere north of Birchanger Services, the traffic came to a stop. It was still snowing (but not that hard) and they said on the radio that there was an accident somewhere ahead, so I put the kettle on, put the tachograph on 'break', and settled down for a long wait. Most of the cars were running their engines to keep warm. Of course, I had a night heater, so was nice and toasty.

We were there for ten hours all told. In the morning, I saw the woman in the car in front helping some small children do a wee, so I made them a flask of hot chocolate. Soon after that, the traffic started to move. Abandoned cars all over the place did not help.

Sadly, someone had died in the accident, but I think the long closure was a bit of a scandal and questions were asked in Parliament about why the cops didn't do more to get the traffic moving.