Essential Services and the Australian Auto Industry

Categories

Recent Blog:

Facebook Posts

2 days ago

PD Insurance
Win a prize for your pooch! PD Insurance and @dogswest WA canine association are giving away three incredible dog hampers to celebrate our partnership and love for dogs. Enter online by Friday 20 April and you could be one of three lucky pet parents to nab your dog some pawsome prizes. Click below to enter and stand a chance to WIN! bit.ly/4covyce#PDinsurance #dogswest Read our Terms and Conditions here: bit.ly/49b9pew ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

In Australia, our social distancing measures and on/off lockdowns of non-essential services and travel have had a positive impact on the rate of COVID-19 infections. Yet, many of us are again groaning under the weight of reintroduced restrictions. When it comes to essential services and the auto industry specifically, this raises a few questions. Are mechanics essential workers? Can your car go for repairs? What about driving lessons during COVID?

In comparison to other countries we’ve been relatively fortunate with our COVID infection figures. You could say we’re veterans with this whole thing. However, resting on our laurels would be a mistake.

As outbreaks over the past two years have shown, we never truly banished COVID from our shores and it looks like it’s here to stay for some time – regardless of immunisations.

There may still be quite the rollercoaster ahead of us, with different levels of restrictions moving in and out of play.

That’s why we decided to not update the original article below, but to allow you to choose the sections that relate to the current-day situation. Whatever that may be.

We hope the read provides you with the insights you need for your motoring lifestyle during COVID and taking care of your car, whether it’s on or off the road. On the latter, here’s how to look after your car when you’re not driving it (as much).

If you do have to get out on the road for some reason, please follow our steps on how to avoid COVID-19 when driving.

****************************************************************

Original article below written on 20 May 2020.

In Australia, our social distancing measures and lockdown of non-essential services have had a positive impact on the rate of COVID-19 infections to say the least. So much so, state governments are moving through implementing the Australian government’s three-stage plan to relax coronavirus restrictions.

Experts say we still have a long way to go before things return to normal. And the situation can easily change again – meaning what’s defined as ‘essential’ one day can be scratched from that list the next.

It’s unsurprising that, as we navigate the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, many people are wondering what are classed as essential services in the auto industry. Here’s an overview as at today.

What’s an ‘essential service’?

When the government called on the shutdown of non-essential activity it listed a few of the most obvious things. These included supermarkets, banks, pharmacies and service stations. However, it never gave an exhaustive list.

At the time, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said shopping should be limited to what you need, such as food and other essential supplies. Naturally, for those services to continue to meet public demand, freight, logistics and home delivery services needed to remain in operation.

Plus, services that support safe access to private transport needed to continue for front-line workers.

To a certain extent, we’ve been self-governing when it comes to making decisions on what’s essential in our lives. And the evidence shows we’re doing a good job at it.

But what effect has it had on the auto industry?

Impacts on Australia’s essential auto industry from coronavirus

Because no official list of essential services and workers was given, a lot of us were left wondering about specific jobs or employees. Were mechanics essential workers? Depends on your definition of essential!

In anticipation of detrimental impacts to the industry, in March the Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) and the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) began lobbying for the ‘Automotive Supply Chain’ to continue to be recognised as essential services.

Among a larger list of logistical services, this included:

  • Automotive repair and maintenance facilities (servicing and supply of parts for private and commercial vehicles)
  • Postal and shipping workers, including private companies and those that move cargo or passengers
  • Dealerships selling new and used cars

The CEO of AAAA, Stuart Charity said, “We want to make sure that we can keep cars and trucks on the road in this time of crisis, particularly for those who are supporting others or accessing medical care or medication. With some supermarkets restricting delivery services, for many people being able to access a local supermarket requires a car.”

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive, Tony Weber agreed, saying, “With the increasing focus on social distancing, safe and reliable private transport is essential to enable communities and businesses to continue to operate.”

In fact, the Australian Automotive Dealers Association (AADA) recommended that now might be the perfect time to book in that overdue service.

Australia’s auto insurance industry and COVID

We can’t speak for others in our industry, however at PD Insurance we’ve seen little impact to date.

The two noticeable changes we have experienced are:

  1. Claims falling slightly due to fewer drivers on the road (and therefore fewer accidents)
  2. An increase in roadside assistance due to people driving their cars infrequently (leading to flat battery, etc)

With the slow easing of travel and other public health order restrictions, we expect this to remain so as things slowly return to ‘normal’.

Having said this, many people are still driving their car on a regular basis. And even those practicing the strictest of social distancing measures are still likely need to drive from time to time. We all need to make trips for groceries, work, medical appointments, and so on.

That’s why we continue to urge Australians to keep their car insurance and roadside assistance up to date. You never know when you’ll need to drive somewhere, and accidents happen all the time.

But this isn’t the only rationale – here are all the reasons why you shouldn’t cancel your car insurance.

Essential auto industry services available to you

Are mechanics essential workers? Plenty of Australians have been wondering – after all, if your car has broken, you need a fix. And quickly, at that!

Australians still have plenty of transport services available to us despite ongoing restrictions. This includes taxis and ridesharing through to public transport and public car parks. The restrictions around the hire of caravans and RV’s are being lifted too.

So, what else can we still do when it comes to our own car? Check out these blogs for more information:

Remember: we’re still working together to flatten the curve, so be responsible with your motoring. Ask yourself whether driving, using a mechanic, buying a car, or selling one can be avoided until we’ve wiped COVID-19 from existence. Or at least until we’re at a later stage.

It will not only help #stopthespread, it will help avoid accidents and therefore reduce the pressure on our health system.

Share On:

How would you, like to proceed?

How would you, like to proceed?