Avoid driving on Saturday

SATURDAY will be the busiest day of the entire year for motorway travel in France - with the annual crossover of July and August holidaymakers.

Traffic monitor Bison Futé has classified Saturday as "black" - the worst level, meaning more than 600km of jams are forecast on roads leading out of big towns and towards the coast.

Heading in the other direction, Saturday is "red". Drivers are strongly advised to put off travelling until Sunday, although jams are still possible then.

Bison Futé advises against trying to get away early today. The road network will be "orange", rising to "red" on the main routes south through the Rhône Valley.

The national record for traffic jams at any one time remains at 842km, which was reported on August 4, 2007 and is the equivalent of one line of solid traffic running all the way from Paris to Toulon.