•
Auto & General's claim trends show less drunk, but more negligent driving,
as well as an increase in smaller accidents and single vehicle accidents.
•
The reduction in DUI could possibly be due to limitations on alcohol sales and
social gatherings.
•
The increase in other accidents could be due to small mistakes or mishaps due
to drivers being out of practice because of lockdown.
Auto
& General Insurance's year-on-year claim trends recently found that, even
though DUI related claims declined, there was an increase in accidents caused
by negligent driving, smaller accidents and accidents with only one vehicle
involved.
This
begs the question: Can lockdown make you forget how to drive?
When
comparing the data from March 2020 and March 2021, the new year saw 30% fewer
DUI claims as a percentage of total accidents than the previous year. This was
likely due to limitations on the sale of alcohol and social gatherings.
Interestingly, however, the number of accident claims for reckless driving has
increased by 27% - proportionally - at the same time.
Smaller
accidents - where less than 20% of the insured value of a vehicle was claimed -
made up 52.5% of total accident claims and 52.7% of accidents involved a single
vehicle.
This
could indicate small mistakes or mishaps by drivers who are out of practice
because they drove less during lockdown. It is something that isn't only
limited to South Africa. In the UK, onefifth of
motorists were reported to have struggled with driving when returning to the
road after
lockdown.
Science
also confirms that lockdown can indeed make you forget how to drive.
According
to Dr Michael B. Huth, Specialist Neurologist from the Neurological Association
of South Africa: "Experienced drivers can certainly suffer from
skills-fade, depending on time away from driving, but if you were a new driver
before lockdown, are a nervous driver, have physical
or neurological impairments or weren't a frequent driver, you
may be especially vulnerable."
The
science behind driving, in brief Dr Huth says that the brain keeps the motor,
sensory and behavioural skills needed to drive in two main areas:
Procedural
Motor Task Memory ('muscle memory') that experienced drivers build up with repetition
and practice. This type of memory is more resistant to fading with age.
Working
Memory - which combines some procedural memory, short-term memory and longterm memory,
interacting with sensory inputs and monitoring of the motor output during
driving - and tends to mature, stabilise and then slowly fade with age.
Driving
rallies four key components of the brain:
Avoiding
a mental crash
Dr
Huth says that this complex system functions much like a symphony played by an
orchestra, with a lack of development, practice or healthy maintenance on any
of the parts being a risk for the entire system to come crashing down.
To
avoid this, Auto & General Insurance provides the following tips:
•
Admit it: Acknowledge the fact that your driving ability may have dropped a
couple of notches due to lack of practice, no matter how experienced you are.
• By
the book: Revise the typical traffic challenges you faced when you drove more
often and make sure you know how to address them while adhering to the rules of
the road.
•
Check-up: Lockdown may not have been kind to your car, so be sure to do a check
before you drive. Deflated tyres, flat batteries, dust build-up and
unlubricated parts (that would typically have had oil, fuel or water running
through them) are some common culprits.
•
Get reacquainted: Things may have changed on a road you haven't travelled in a
while. New speed bumps, potholes, new stop signs and traffic lights are all
things to look out for.
•
Take it slow: Lower your speed and ease back into driving. Tackle easier, less
congested routes first before getting back into the proverbial fast lane.
•
Avoid distractions: If your mind and body are still getting used to driving as
you used to, being distracted by a cell phone, passengers, food, or other
culprits is a big NO.
•
Healthy driving: Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and getting enough rest
are key to good driving, whether returning after lockdown or not.
•
Phone a friend: If you're not up to driving under certain conditions yet, don't
take a chance. Instead, phone a friend or a taxi to help you out, especially if
you're in a higher risk group.
•
Refresh: A refresher course with an instructor is never a bad idea, especially
if you've spent a lengthy amount of time off the road. They could point out
errors that put your life in danger and help you to correct them.
It
may sound ridiculous to say that you can forget how to drive, but science
supports it. One error can cost you large sums of money or even your life, so
it's best to proactively focus on sharpening your skills. If disaster strikes,
it's a must to have good, comprehensive insurance in place.
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By Ricardo Coetzee
Head of Auto & General Insurance
Article featured in Wheels24