Limited Opportunities for Driving – are Standards Slipping?

The pandemic and accompanying restrictions have no doubt had different effects on different people and driving is I suspect no exception.  Whilst a healthcare professional whose primary journeys involve commuting will have noticed little difference aside from deserted roads, others will have had little opportunity to drive for much of the time since restrictions were imposed.

Personally, I drove little more than an occasional trip to the supermarket for three months earlier this year.  Since then, with the resumption of the ability to travel, I have covered more miles.  These include a trip through Europe, ending with the widely reported - safe and legal in my case - dash for the channel to avoid quarantine.  Nevertheless business journeys, and hence my mileage, remain minimal.

I suspect that the situation this year will have had an impact on driving standards.  Have some people become too used to the empty roads and therefore less aware of their surroundings as they drive?  Have others’ standards simply lapsed through the lack of a chance to practise?  And how confident can we be that the condition of our largely unused vehicles?

As members of OAD I hope we are self-aware enough to consider whether any of these apply to us and if we need to make any adaptations.  At the very least, developing a heightened awareness of other road users seems a sensible precaution.

Of course, I hope that we will be able to resume activities to support all our members with their driving before too long.

Where are we now – and what happens next?

In line with IAM guidance we will continue to hold all meetings online where possible – please look out for meeting invitations.

We are planning an online committee meeting when we will agree arrangements for the AGM, which is due.

We do not plan to arrange any formal drive outs at the moment as social distancing cannot - and the rule of six may not - be maintained in what might be perceived as a leisure activity.  As of 5 November we have suspended all on road training in line with government and IAM Roadsmart guidance. We hope to resume runs once the various measures permit.

Any associates wishing to resume training are invited to contact associatecoordinator@iamoxon.org to discuss options.  But please note that observer capacity is severely reduced at the moment and we may need to ask for your patience.