Family time, watching TV: What Victorians did with extra time during COVID

Less traffic during COVID-19 meant Victorians missed out on doing one surprising thing, as what they got up to with the extra time each day is revealed.

It was one upside of the COVID lockdowns – Victoria’s roads void of traffic. But it was also good for our potty mouths it seems, with more time off the roads meaning drivers were less likely to swear.

According to a survey commissioned by dashcam manufacturer Nextbase, 86 per cent of respondents admitted to swearing when stuck in traffic.

“F**k off” was the most common phrase uttered among foul-mouthed Aussie drivers, followed by “sh*t” (19 per cent), “d*ckhead” (12 per cent), “arsehole” (8 per cent), “c**t” (4 per cent), and “bastard”, “mother f**ker” and “son of a b*tch” which all came in at 2 per cent.

V8 Supercars Bathurst Champion David Reynolds, who heads up the Curb the Rage campaign aimed at reducing aggression on the roads, said drivers needed to remain calm.

“There are many triggers for road rage, and swearing in traffic happens to a large majority of us as the Nextbase study suggests – but when it’s aimed at another road user, dangerous situations are bound to occur,” Reynolds said.

“That’s when you need to tell yourself to slow down and concentrate on your driving.”

V8 Supercars Bathurst Champion David Reynolds said drivers needed to remain calm while behind the wheel. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Victorians were handed back more than an hour extra a day during COVID-19, and what they did with the extra time has been revealed.

Nationally, a large majority of Australians saw a change in the time it took them to commute to work during the pandemic, as fewer people used their cars to travel to and fro, according to new research by Allianz Australia.

Less time on the road meant Victorians gained an extra 75 minutes of free time. A poll by the insurance group in which local respondents were given the option to select up to three activities revealed that watching TV was the most preferred thing to do at 35 per cent.

A similar number (32 per cent) said they used the extra minutes to spend time with family, followed by cleaning (29 per cent).

Reading was preferenced by 25 per cent of those polled followed by sleeping more (21 per cent), calls with loved ones (22 per cent), scrolling social media (20 per cent) and working out (19 per cent).

Just over a quarter of Victorian respondents also said they felt lazier as a result of COVID-19 shaking up their routines.