2020 has seen some of the most profound changes many of us have seen in entire lifetimes. This year, the government has told us what to do and where we could do it. That never happened before.
The reason for this comes back to the severity of COVID-19 and the risks the pandemic poses to all of us. The unexpected is now the expected. And the way we live our lives is changing in ways we didn’t think were possible.
For years, the authorities encouraged us to leave our cars on the driveway and use public transportation instead. But that advice is no longer appropriate. Now we’re being asked to become “car-ready” to avoid excessive use of public transport – an environment that the experts believe fosters infection.
Why Being Car-Ready Is Important
At the moment, the government is encouraging people to travel as little as they can. Good reasons for hopping in your car and going somewhere include things like spending time outdoors, exercising, travelling for work purposes when you can’t work from home, and getting medical help. Other reasons are shopping for food if you can’t get it delivered to your address or buying household essentials.
Being car-ready helps in all these situations because it lowers the risk of infection. You can think of your vehicle as a giant face mask that protects both your airway and your entire body. In many ways, modern cars are better than standard masks you buy in the store because they come with advanced filters to remove other small particles like soot. Plus, you often drive them in areas where people are unlikely to be transmitting disease.
What Kind Of Car Should You Get?
The next question is what kind of car you should get if you don’t have one already. Ideally, what you want is something that is going to provide you with reliable transport for as long as the lockdown lasts.
Fortunately, most manufacturers now sell very reliable vehicles that are unlikely to let you down. Furthermore, even if you do experience issues, remaining safe is easy. If you own a Mini, for instance, Mini service centre staff will protect you by following social distancing rules. You drop off your vehicle, a mechanic services it, and then you pick it up, only interacting minimally with staff.
Driving Gives You Freedom
We still don’t know how long the present situation will last. The latest figures indicate that new cases are now higher than they were at the peak of the pandemic in April, although the deaths are lower. In this environment, it isn’t clear when it will be safe to take the bus again.
Cycling is an option, but there’s a limit on how far you can go. The only real option is driving. It allows you to move around to different parts of the country and even perhaps go abroad, depending on the current travel restrictions.
Undoubtedly, the car is having a new lease on life. And it will become an important way of protecting people if a vaccine doesn’t arrive soon.