The volume of traffic during the current Level 5 lockdown is twice as high as it was during the first nationwide lockdown in March, motoring group the AA has reported.
During the first two weeks of Level 5 restrictions, traffic volumes on major routes across the country fell to around 60 to 65 per cent of levels seen during a typical weekday in October, the group said.
In contrast, during the initial weeks of the March lockdown, many routes were recording as low as 35 per cent of their typical weekday volumes based on Transport Infrastructure Ireland figures.
Crashes and traffic incidents are also occurring at a much higher rate than seen during the early weeks of the original lockdown, the group reported.
“As expected, traffic volumes have fallen during the first two weeks of Level 5 restrictions, but not at the same rate as we saw during the initial lockdown in March of this year,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs said.
“With schools, construction and other sectors allowed to remain open, this increase in volume isn’t a surprise.
Road accidents
“However, the significant increases in crashes and traffic incidents is something which is a cause of concern,” Mr Faughnan said.
“Late-October and the winter period is traditionally a dangerous period on our roads, but despite lower volumes during traditional commuting periods incidents are still occurring at a worrying rate.”
During the first 13 days of Level 5 restrictions, the number of crashes reported by AA Roadwatch trebled when compared to the first 13 days of the March lockdown – 37 compared to 11.
The AA’s breakdown assistance service has also seen an increase in daily breakdown callouts during the Level 5 restrictions when compared to the early weeks of the March lockdown.
“For the year to date, 126 people have been killed on Irish roads – an increase of 10 on last year despite the fact that we saw significant restrictions on travel between March and July of this year,” Mr Faughnan said.
“Now that we are also dealing with reduced daylight and poor weather conditions, those who must travel must adapt their driving accordingly to prevent any further increases in incidents, crashes or fatalities.”
