Sunday drives to return as lockdown eases

THE Sunday afternoon drive is set to make a comeback as motorists desper- ate to get out of the house are expected to go for a spin.

An estimated 15million leisure trips will be made by car this weekend after lockdown restrictions were eased in England, an RAC survey has found.

But with people nervous about catching coronavirus and many car parks across the country closed, some motoring groups think that people will take the opportunity to revive the Sunday drive and enjoy the protection that vehicles offer.

People in England can now drive as far as they want, as long as they do not spend the night away from their home.

They have also been told that they

should return to work if they cannot operate from home. Just days after the new measure came into effect England started to get back on the road yesterday, with data from Tomtom showing that major cities across the UK had the biggest spike in congestion levels since the easing of restrictions was announced.

Sixteen per cent of London roads were congested at 8am yesterday, up from 3 per cent the week before, but still much lower than the 51 per cent

national average.

The 13 per cent rise dwarfed the week-on-week increase of previous days, which had only crept up slightly. Both the RAC and the AA reported an increase in breakdown call-outs from previous weeks taking them back to average levels for this time of year.

The RAC noted that there had been a 16 per cent increase in cars on the road in the wake of Boris Johnson announcing an easing of lockdown measures.

The data, from black box insurance customers between Monday and Thursday, also showed a 13 per cent increase in the number of miles driven compared to the week before.

It comes as a survey by the motoring group found that 46 per cent of respondents said they planned to take a leisure trip by car this weekend. Nearly half of the journeys will be no more than 10 miles long, but 5 per cent said they expect to drive more than 30 miles for recreation.

Taking into account the number of licensed cars on the road, the RAC calculated that an estimated 15 million trips will be made across Saturday and Sunday.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “In normal times, the weather warming up in time for the weekend would spell traffic jams on routes leading to tourist hot spots.

“These figures suggest that’s less likely this weekend, with the vast majority of drivers we surveyed not jumping at the chance to drive very much further afield.

“Most are choosing to stay very local indeed or even not getting in the car in the first place, which bodes well for control of the virus.”

Green Flag has also noted a spike in car-related sales, with revenue up 110 per cent in the first week of May compared to the week before lockdown. Phil Stevens, of Driving for Pleasure, has seen an increase in visits to his site and believes people will seize the opportunity to take their cars for a spin.

“For the last seven or eight weeks people have been polishing their cars, sorting them out and really chomping at the bit to get out there,” he said.

“There is a real pent-up demand from people looking to get out and drive their beloved cars.”