Arnoud Broekhuis of ANWB Traffic Information warns anyone traveling on vacation in the coming weeks should not start the trip on a Saturday. On Saturdays, it can be particularly busy in France, Germany and Austria, which leads to traffic jams and delays.

On the Route du Soleil, the motorway to southern France and Spain, five Saturdays in July and August are marked as “Black Saturday† Large crowds are then expected on the road and at gas stations, roadside restaurants and toll gates.

In order to deal with the summer crowds, Austria is considering regulating traffic on the roads to Italy, Slovenia and Croatia by way of a “Blockabfertigung”. But if the traffic in Austria is reduced, traffic jams may occur on German roads.

Preferably travel on Friday or Sunday

Traffic congestion is also exacerbated by an increase in the number of people traveling to multiple places. Broekhuis: “We’re seeing more and more travel destinations change on Saturdays. People used to stay in one place for two or three weeks, and now we’re seeing accommodation and destination change sometimes every week, which leads to more traffic.” According to him, it is better to travel on Friday, Sunday, or on weekdays.

problems Schiphol It will also ensure that more vacationers replace the plane with the car, Broekhuis says. “The shortage of Schiphol is not alone. We also receive these signals from many other Western European holiday countries.”

Emergency services are busy too

In the summer it is always on board the ANWB. If you do not want to wait for emergency services in hot weather along the road, it would be a good idea to schedule a car maintenance service in time. Garages are also understaffed and spare parts are hard to find. It’s also helpful to take a spare wheel outside. “Emergency services are busy on Saturday so you may have to wait a long time to get help fixing your flat tires. Then it’s best to change your tire yourself.”