As more of the U.S.\npopulation becomes vaccinated against COVID-19 and public spaces begin to\nreopen, you may be wondering what to expect once you hit the road again,\nwhether it’s a return to your daily commute or a long-awaited road trip to see\nloved ones. Like many parts of daily life, the coronavirus pandemic had an\nimmediate, massive impact on when, how, and what people drive, which may lead\nto long-term changes in traffic, vehicles and driving experiences. Here are the\nmajor ways that driving has changed during the pandemic: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the early months of the\npandemic, when the stay-at-home orders and shift to remote work began, a large\npercentage of people stopped driving, leading to fewer car accidents. The\nnumber of miles driven nationally plummeted nearly 46% by early April 20201<\/sup>;\nby December, 50% of vehicle owners continued to drive less.2<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, while the number of\ncar accidents dropped dramatically, those accidents that did occur were more severe<\/em>.\nWith significantly lower traffic congestion, people were driving at higher\nspeeds. Another factor is the size of vehicles people are driving; in the first\nseven months of 2020 alone, SUVs accounted for 50% of all new vehicle registrations.3<\/sup>\nWith more large, heavy vehicles on the road moving at faster speeds, the trend\nof accidents getting worse isn\u2019t all that surprising, but something drivers\nshould be mindful of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only are these\nconditions more dangerous for drivers; they are more expensive. Severe\naccidents lead to more extensive repairs and a higher likelihood that a vehicle\nwill be declared a total loss. (A vehicle is a total loss when one of the\nfollowing is true: the car cannot safely be repaired, the car\u2019s damage meets\nyour state\u2019s criteria for total loss, or the repair costs would exceed the\ncar\u2019s estimated value.) When you\u2019re out on the road, try to stay aware of your\nspeed even if traffic is sparse, and be prepared to encounter other drivers who\nare speeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the percent of people\ncommuting by car has always been significantly higher than those taking public\ntransit in the U.S., the pandemic has deepened that gap even further. In a\nstudy by Continental on public mobility, 81% of U.S. respondents reported\nhaving changed their daily mobility habits during the pandemic, with 22% report\ntraveling more often by car than before the pandemic.4<\/sup> This trend\nwill likely continue for the next several months amid lingering health concerns\nfrom coronavirus. So even though the pandemic has changed the way many people work\nand more companies are allowing employees to work from home, if those who do\ncommute to the office continue to choose personal transportation rather than\nmass transit, it will not only increase traffic volume but likely continue to\nimpact rising gas prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With more people choosing\nto commute by car instead of public transit, and more people planning travel\nfor their first vacations post-pandemic, gas prices are soaring back to\npre-pandemic levels as demand for oil rises. A recent report from the Energy\nInformation Administration (EIA) predicted that gas prices will climb to a three-year\nhigh this summer, to an average of $2.78 per gallon in the next six months.\nAlthough that price is similar to what we paid in the years before COVID-19,\nit\u2019s still a 34% jump from gas prices in 2020 and may catch many drivers\noff-guard if they haven\u2019t filled their gas tank in a while.5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n With more people driving\nless often and working remote for the foreseeable future, many have started\nseeking new ways to save on their auto insurance and understand how it is\npriced. A growing percentage of customers are comfortable with their auto\ninsurers using their driving data to inform pricing,6<\/sup> or what is\nknown as \u201cusage-based insurance\u201d (UBI) or \u201cpay as you drive\u201d insurance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how UBI works: depending\nthe age and type of vehicle you have, your car may be able to record things\nlike the mileage, speed, and distance of your driving on an average day. Some\ninsurers can collect that data from your vehicle with your consent and use that\nto personalize your auto insurance pricing \u2013 and the better driver you are,\nbased on the applicable carrier\u2019s criteria, the better the price. If you find\nyourself working from home more often than you did before the pandemic, UBI may\nbe a cost-effective option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The necessity for social\ndistancing had a major impact on how people interact with their auto insurer or\nlocal collision repair shop after an accident. Insurers used to send an\nadjuster to inspect a vehicle in-person after an accident and write an estimate\nfor repair costs. These days, that entire process can be done from your\nsmartphone, making it a COVID-safe experience for you and the adjuster: many insurers\noffer self-guided experiences through their mobile app that will allow you to\nsnap photos of your damaged vehicle from the scene of the accident and upload\nany additional documentation securely. From there, the insurer uses a\ncombination of computer and human analysis to review your photos and draft an\nestimate, which they can send to you via their app or an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some collision repair shops\noffer similar digital experiences: you can start by searching for a collision\nrepair shop near you via an online tool like Carwise, which lists profiles on\nover 22,000 collision repair shops nationwide. On Carwise you can review dozens\nof details on local shops, from their operating hours and location to real\ncustomer reviews, industry certifications, and photos of their work. Once you\nfind a collision repair shop near you that meets your criteria, you may be able\nto schedule an appointment online or request a virtual estimate based on your\nphotos of the damaged vehicle. Many shops are offering contactless drop-off and\npick-ups as well and will update you about your repair status via text or\nemail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Daily life may not return to \u201cnormal\u201d for a while, but as we rediscover familiar experiences like commuting to work for visiting family, we encourage you to be safe on the roads. If your car is in need of repairs, use Carwise\u2019s shop finder tool to search your zip code for a customer-reviewed auto body or glass repair shop near you: http:\/\/carwise.com\/auto-body-shops<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n —<\/p>\n\n\n\n Article sources: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 – Bob Pishue,\nTransportation Analyst, INRIX. \u201cCOVID-19\nEffect on Collisions on Interstates and Highways in the U.S.\u201d Page 5, December\n2020. https:\/\/www.fhwa.dot.gov\/policyinformation\/travel_monitoring\/tvt.cfm<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 – ENGINE CARAVAN. \u201cDriving Change in Auto Insurance.\u201d December 1, 2020. https:\/\/engine-insights.com\/blog\/driving-change-in-auto-insurance\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3 – Top Libby, IHS Markit.\n\u201cNew Vehicle Registrations Show Record Levels for SUVs.\u201d www.aftermarketnews.com, October 8, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4 – Continental Press\nRelease, 2020-12-09. \u201cIncreasing Importance of Private Transportation During\nthe Pan- demic: Continental Mobility Study 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5 \u2013 Energy Information\nAdministration, Short Term Energy Outlook: https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/outlooks\/steo\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\nPeople who used to take\npublic transit are choosing to drive during the pandemic.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Be prepared to pay more\nat the pump. <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Drivers are becoming\nmore interested in usage-based insurance.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Drivers are using\ndigital tools to file insurance claims and seek repairs after an accident. <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n