Motorists are starting to use their cars more, and drive more miles per trip, despite lockdown restrictions remaining unchanged, new figures show.
RAC black box car insurance driving data shows there were 11 percent more cars on the road last week than at the beginning of lockdown.
Daily driven miles also increased 23 percent.
In a separate survey by the RAC, more than 1 in 3 motorists admitted they are using their vehicles more.
Even usage of the RAC Routeplanner tool is increasing, with planned journeys rising 16 percent in a week.
“There is now mounting evidence that people are venturing back out in their vehicles,” said RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes.
“Until anything concrete is confirmed, the current advice remains to only go out when necessary for essential purposes, or where you cannot work from home.
“The question drivers should ask themselves before venturing out is, ‘do I really need to?”
Why are motorists driving more in lockdown?
When asked, a quarter of motorists said they were using a car more for grocery shopping. 1 in 10 said it was to pick up essential supplies or visit a pharmacy.
However, 5 percent admitted it was to visit a DIY store, and another 5 percent said it was to buy alcohol.
4 percent said they were driving more for work purposes.
A tiny 1 percent said it was to visit a beauty spot, and 1 percent said it was to simply give their car a lockdown run.
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