People are Now Using Their Parked Cars to Get Peace and Quiet

With home quarantine measures in place around the world, some people are finding private space in the most unlikely of spaces: their own car.

Even with travel restrictions in place, up to 1.2 million motorists in the U.K., people are actually using their cars to get some peace and quiet during the COVID-19 lockdown. The survey of 2,000 drivers was conducted by car brand Škoda, and can be an insight as to what drivers miss the most about driving.

With over a third (39 percent) of U.K. motorists currently working from home, drivers are using their parked cars for a range of different activities. Potentially up to 1.2 million motorists there (8 percent), are retreating to their parked car to get some time alone away from the family, whilst in London it rises to more than a fifth (23 percent) who are finding solace in their car. A further 7 percent are using their vehicle’s infotainment system to listen to music, the radio, or a podcast.

Ever resourceful, over 20 percent of respondents stated that they have found alternative uses for their cars whilst they remain stationary outside their homes, including as a place to watch TV on a mobile phone or tablet device (3 percent), taking a nap (3 percent), and even as an interim playground for the kids (2 percent).

The research also found that while the living room is the most popular room at home to work in, 13 percent of motorists are considering using their car as a makeshift office space, possibly as those working from home have found that their current environment has caused back ache from uncomfortable seating (32 percent) or that they have struggled to find a quiet place in the home to focus (26 percent).

Vehicle owners in the U.K. are also taking greater care of their cars during lockdown, with 22 percent reporting that they are washing their car more regularly, and a further one in five are cleaning the interior more often than usual.

The findings show the cleanest cars are in London, with 17 percent of car owners admitting to cleaning their car once a day since lockdown began.

Although motorists may be unable to get out in their vehicles at the moment, aside from essential journeys, 13 percent say that they have headed into the driver’s seat to dream about their post lockdown road trip.