Staying Safe on Your Drive to Work Now Lockdown Has Eased

In an ever-evolving situation, the rules of a ‘lockdown society’ keep changing.

This, inevitably, includes our road usage, with car traffic levels creeping up towards pre-lockdown levels. Add in other types of traffic – public transport, trucks and haulage – and our roads are starting to resemble some sort of normality.

This leads to its own unique problems, with reports of people seeing quieter roads as a chance to speed excessively, and also the distinct possibility of driver rustiness, with road users having spent so long off the road (for the majority of people, anyway).

COVID-19 and the Current Pandemic. Where Are We Now?

The government recently announced further relaxing of the lockdown restrictions, as long as social distancing guidelines are maintained in a range of evolving situations.

With schools set for a partial reopening from June 1st, non-essential retail shops set to open from June 15th, and people who can’t work from home encouraged to return to the workplace, there is a definitive movement towards a more regular normal. The number of infections, admissions to hospital and deaths, as a result of the virus, are all decreasing on a weekly basis.

This comes after infections worldwide moved past the five-million mark, with those stats not including a lot of cases where people have opted to stay at home with the infection and self-isolate.

The peak of the pandemic appears to have passed in Europe, with focus turning to the Americas, where figures continue to rise, particularly in South America.

Change in Message

The government has announced a change in message from ‘stay home’ to ‘stay alert’. This suggests an easing of lockdown measures which circumvent the stay at home message from earlier in the lockdown; instead people are encouraged to stay alert. Focusing on social distancing elements, the new message asks us all to stick to the guidelines and employ common sense when attempting to maintain social distance from those around us, not living in our household.

 Driving Safely as Lockdown Eases

This alteration to the message allows those who can go back to work, and who can’t work remotely, to do just that.

Still discouraging the use of public transport for the daily commute, many are left with the option of driving their own vehicle to and from the workplace. So how can you stay safe during these unprecedented times?

FAQs

Should I use the extra space on the road to my advantage?

Your commute should, depending on which route you take and where in the country you are, not take as long with far less traffic on the road at peak times compared to pre-lockdown figures. That may allow you to set off later. However, it should not be an excuse to use that extra freedom on the road to go any faster than the legal speed limit.

Will everyone drive as they did pre-lockdown?

As increasing numbers get back in the driving seat after an extended period of time, some after a break of 10 weeks, it is natural to expect a small adjustment period which can lead to careless errors or misjudgments in decision-making. Allow everyone a little extra space and time on the road to decrease the chances of an accident.

Will traffic levels increase beyond pre-lockdown levels?

There has been a concerted effort from government to discourage people from taking public transport, if they have a choice, until there is a vaccine for the general public. Could this lead to increased traffic levels, beyond pre-lockdown levels, as more people take to driving their own vehicle?

With this in mind, it is important to be vigilant when driving, with increased risk of bumps and accidents as a result of higher volumes of traffic. If the unfortunate does happen, and you are involved in a road traffic accident, one call to Winns can help take the stress and hassle away. Find out more about the process by clicking here.

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