The figures underline the increasing reliance many
drivers have on their cars to help complete essential journeys,
with three-quarters (75%) saying they use the car for permitted
food shopping, 28% saying they use it to get to pharmacies, and a
fifth (18%) needing the car to provide care or help to a
vulnerable person. A fifth (20%) also say they use the car to get
to work as they are in a role where they can’t work from
home.
But worryingly, the research also suggests that some
drivers appear to be continuing to use their cars for trips that
would not be classed as ‘essential’. Five per cent say they drive
a short distance so they can get some exercise despite the clear
government instruction to ‘stay local’ when doing so, and 4% go
for a drive to give their cars a run. Both of these types of
journeys carry the avoidable risks of road traffic collisions at
a time when the emergency services are under enormous pressure,
and of unnecessary breakdowns.
While nine per cent of drivers say they still need
their car most days, the majority say they are now using their
cars once a week or less (60%) for essential trips – which is
probably an indication more of us are now reverting to a weekly
or fortnightly ‘big’ shop for groceries to minimise the time
we’re spending outside the home. The RAC is calling on all
drivers to only use their vehicles for strictly essential
journeys until Government advice changes.
The research also showed that the vast majority of
drivers (97%) heeded the Government’s ‘stay at home’ instruction
over the warm Easter weekend. Two per cent of drivers reported
they had used a car to drive to an open space for exercise, while
1% chose to see friends or family – a small but worrying
proportion given the importance of everyone staying at home to
reduce the transmission of the virus.
Breakdowns attended by RAC patrols were also down
sharply over Easter compared to last year – across the UK there
were 50% fewer breakdowns between Good Friday and Easter Monday.
However, there was an unexpected spike in breakdowns on Tuesday –
presumably as some drivers started their cars for the first time
in weeks.
RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “These
figures highlight the important role the private car still plays
in enabling people to complete their essential journeys during
lockdown. The reality for many people is that they still
rely on the car for certain trips – be it for weekly food
shopping, to get to and from work or when looking after a
vulnerable person.
“The Government has indicated that food shopping
should be done as infrequently as possible, and consequently many
people are using their cars to carry heavy bags of groceries. But
only using cars infrequently can lead to problems, particularly
with batteries. Fortunately, the RAC is still on hand to sort out
these issues enabling drivers to keep using their cars when they
need to, alongside providing assistance to hundreds of emergency
service vehicles and thousands of key workers who are RAC
members.
“What is vital however, is that drivers heed the
Government advice and strictly use their cars for essential trips
only. It’s encouraging to see just how many drivers reported they
stayed at home over Easter, but there appears to be a small
proportion who continue to get in the car either to drive
somewhere for exercise, or to keep their vehicle’s battery
healthy. While the temptation might be there with the car sat
outside and largely unused, we really do urge people to think
twice before they get behind the wheel. Every unnecessary journey
potentially adds to the burden on our emergency
services.”
The RAC has produced
a comprehensive
set of answers to
questions related to driving during the coronavirus outbreak. A
page detailing the current service
the RAC is
providing is also
available.
Ends
Notes to Editors
* Research conducted
among 1,550 drivers on the RAC Driver Opinion Panel between
Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 April 2020.
