Hyundai UK survey: After lockdown, some drivers forgot how to drive

There is a saying that goes “once you learn to ride a bicycle, you never forget.”

Apparently, that saying does not apply to cars, because in a UK survey, nearly 20 percent of the participants admitted to struggling to return to driving when the country eased its lockdown measures.

A recent survey of 2,000 motorists in the UK revealed that while travel bans and restrictions were in place, their average driving went down from 583 miles (938 kilometers) to just 90 miles (144 kms) a month, with 30 percent of those interviewed driving 25 miles (40 kms) or fewer.

Of those who found it difficult to adjust to life back on the road, 28 percent had stalled their car, 21 percent had scraped their wheels on the curb and 21 percent forgot to turn their indicator lights on while changing lanes.

Likewise, around 44 percent of road users think they have been driving faster during lockdown, with just 10 percent thinking they have been driving slower.

In addition, 40 percent of motorists said they had not yet refueled their vehicle over the past 28 days, with 12 percent admitting that had forgotten which side the gas cap is on.

Hyundai UK, who initiated the survey, also discovered that 48 percent of motorists—almost half of those surveyed—are worried that the standard of road users' driving will lower now restrictions eased in the British Isles.

For these and other reasons, drivers of the Hyundai Kona Electric model are fortunate because the car comes with Smartsense, the South Korean carmaker’s suite of intelligent driving technologies designed to protect occupants as well as pedestrian and other road users.

The Hyundai Smartsense makes use of radar and camera sensors which activate the vehicle’s braking system when a possible collision with a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist is detected.

The suite also comes with a newly-developed Rear Cross Traffic Alert systems which reduces the risk of a collision with approaching traffic in times when the car is backing out of narrow areas with poor visibility.

“Absence can make the heart grow fonder and our research found that 45 percent of motorists have missed driving because of lockdown,” a spokesperson for Hyundai UK said.

“Like with many things, there can be a few teething issues after a break and driving is no different. With a little care and practice though, I’m sure that motorists will soon get their confidence back behind the wheel,” the spokesperson added.

The Hyundai Kona Electric has been available locally since 2019. One can be yours for the price of P2.368 million.

Photos from Hyundai

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