Coronavirus: Common to feel a bit 'rusty' behind the wheel post-lockdown, but 'practice makes perfect'

Tuesday, 26 May 2020

You might feel a bit 'rusty' behind the wheel, but it's just like riding a bike.

After sitting at home for almost two months during lockdown, getting back behind the wheel of your car might seem a bit daunting.

But just like any skill, 'practice makes perfect', according to Roger Venn from the New Zealand Automobile Association (AA).

'If you haven't hit a golf ball for two weeks … you forget. You don't forget everything but you feel a bit rusty,' the driving school general manager said.

'You get back in the vehicle, you do feel a bit rusty.'

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AA Driver Training general manager Roger Venn suggested people head to a quiet street or area to reacquaint themselves with their vehicles.

But there were ways to rebuild your confidence.

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Venn suggested going to a quiet street or area to 'reacquaint yourself' with your vehicle, and picking a time outside of peak traffic periods to head out for a drive. He advised against driving at night for your first time back in the car.

'The longer you leave it, the worse it will get,' he said.

Another option was taking a co-driver along for a ride, someone who could act as 'another pair of eyes' and help you out, or signing up for a refresher lesson with an instructor.

Since coming out of lockdown and into Level 2, the AA had been very busy. Venn said there was a lot of demand for the driving school, especially with newly-turned 16-year-olds eager to get behind the wheel for the first time.

Roadside call-outs had also increased significantly, with the organisation experiencing the busiest two weeks in its history.

Every day, they had upwards of 2000 jobs a day to tend to - more than double a normal day. Over the weekend, the demand eased slightly, but still hovered at around 1100 jobs a day - 700 more jobs than the daily average.

'[There's been a] huge uplift in jobs,' he said.

Unsurprisingly, most were battery-related call-outs resulting from cars sitting untouched for six to eight weeks during lockdown. Car-owners concerned about the health of their battery should turn the car on for a 'good half an hour' as turning it on for just two minutes wasn't worth it, Venn explained.

'You've taken more out of the battery than you've put back in.'

He suggested people give their car an all-round check using the TWIRL procedure - check your tyres, windscreen, wipers and mirrors, indicators, rust, and lights.

There had also been a number of fatal crashes across the country since the move down to Covid-19 Alert Level 2. In just 12 days, 10 deaths were recorded by the Ministry of Transport.

These incidents included both single and double vehicle crashes.

In two days - May 15 and 16 - there was a car and motorbike collision in Kaiwaka, Northland that killed one, and a crash near Te Pohue on May 16 that killed two. On May 18 and 19 there were single fatalities at a crash in Tauranga and Central Otago. Two days later on May 21 and 22 there were three crashes - two in Auckland and one in Palmerston North - that killed four people. And lastly, a crash in Rotorua on Monday that killed one person.

This was a slight decrease from the same period in 2019.

Traffic accident data was not yet available as reports could take up to six months to generate. However, in just one day there were three multi-vehicle crashes reported by Stuff - a collision between a truck and motorcycle near Auckland that injured two; a crash in Riverlands, Marlborough, that hospitalised five; and a three-vehicle crash in Canterbury that injured three.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency senior manager of road safety, Fabian Marsh, said roads had become much busier in Level 2, and he urged motorists to drive carefully, especially around pedestrians and cyclists.

“We know that more people are now walking and cycling, and we urge drivers to stay alert and take extra care around cyclists and pedestrians.

'If you’re driving it’s crucial to stay alert, slow down and give plenty of room when passing people on bikes or on foot.'

He also asked drivers to be 'patient and respectful' and to look out for workers at construction and road work sites.