A comparison of traffic levels between the national lockdowns over the last 12 months has found that motorists are more likely to be on the roads than they were in the first COVID restrictions.

The research from RAC Black Box Insurance has found that despite the current lockdown sharing many similarities with the first, including only leaving the house for ‘essential’ reasons and working from home, there are 10 per cent more cars on the roads than there were in the first week of the March 2020 lockdown. The same analysis has also found that we are driving 31 per cent more miles than we were in the original lockdown.

The RAC are well placed to monitor traffic levels, they say that though Christmas was very quiet, January brought about one of it’s busiest periods year-on-year.

“The feel of this latest nationwide lockdown is very different to that which was first imposed in 2020 with greater numbers of people working in ‘Covid-secure’ workplaces, more shops offering click-and-collect services, and more children of keyworkers attending schools,” said Rod Dennis, data insight lead from the RAC.

“Nonetheless, it’s vital drivers think carefully before using their vehicles and ensure they’re only venturing out for essential trips as specified by government guidelines. Every unnecessary journey increases the chances of a breakdown, or worse a road traffic collision, and risks adding to the pressures being experienced by our emergency and healthcare workers.

“Unfortunately, the return of colder weather from next week risks increasing the chances of drivers encountering breakdowns with flat batteries which we expect to cause people problems, especially if they’re hardly using their vehicles at the moment.”

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