The pandemic has been all about adjusting to a new normal, and that includes our daily commutes. Buses and trains aren't exactly COVID-proof, with airflow not being optimal, so cautious commuters have taken to the streets instead of stuck inside the subway tunnels. Opting for an open-air breeze is better than that stale fake wind you get after ordering a meatball sub (farting).

There's no way everyone can just stay home and work from there, right? With unemployment at historic levels, that can't be happening. So where are all these people going? If my Instagram feed is any indication, everyone and their mom went on road trips this summer. I don't know about you, but I can't look at my phone now without seeing a Grand Canyon group shot or a Yosemite selfie.

Air traffic is down by 70% this year, which means road tripping is up there with baking sourdough as a popular activity. Conventional vacationing isn't the safest right now, so travel junkies are finding ways around it through long-haul travel. You know, camping and even off-roading are becoming increasingly popular, especially van life. Van life was already popular before, but now it's up and overlanding is making its way into the mainstream too.

It makes sense that conventional vacationing isn't the safest right now, so travel junkies are finding their own ways around it through long-haul travel. You know, if they're not on their way to a national park, commuting to work or delivering Donut merch, chances are high that they're actually driving nowhere. With cabin fever spreading, the phrase "let's take a drive" is making a comeback.

Another unexpected effect the pandemic has had on driving occurred in the used car market. A lot of buyers thought COVID-19 would mean major savings on a second-hand ride, but alas, none of this happened. It's actually a seller's market right now, and it has been for all the quarantine. Demand for used cars is way up due to plummeting interest rates and a shortage of new vehicles.

The average list price of used vehicles in July was $21,558, which is $708 higher than it was in June. They also reported 22% more used cars sold in June this year than last year. So if you're hoping to save some money on a used car during quarantine, you weren't the only one, but if you have one to let go of, now's the time to sell.

We've gone over many ways COVID has broken our roads in this video, but the question is, will they ever be the same? Well, the short answer is no. The lifestyle changes that COVID brought about are proven to have lasting effects on our economy, infrastructure, and psyche. Do you remember what air travel was like before 9/11?

You could keep your shoes on the entire time and even meet people at the gate. I personally never experienced that but I heard it's pretty awesome. Afterwards though, things changed forever, but we still fly, just differently now. Driving is different now too; the way we think about driving is different, it's like a form of escapism from a lockdown life.

And I don't think that's a bad thing. Sure, we had a couple hiccups at the beginning, but we're bouncing back with a new appreciation for the joy of driving and I think it's awesome that road trips are having a resurgence. And I like the fact that going for a drive is something people are doing just to make the days feel a little less long.

All these car lead communities are thriving and people are remembering all the great things about cars that we have forgotten. So yeah, I mean, COVID has been awful but even the most deadly global viruses have silver linings. Get out on the road and please drive safe. Thank you very much for watching this episode of Wheelhouse.

I know it's kind of heavy but I really think that I have a new appreciation for driving and I hope you do too. We have a membership program for the most hardcore of Donut fans, it's called Donut Underground, you get exclusive videos, exclusive stickers, and merch offers, it's really great. We also have a podcast as well, if you don't know it's called Past Gas, every where you can get podcasts, I love doing it.

Be kind and see you next time.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- I remember the first time I droveon the freeway during quarantine,it had been weeks sinceI left my neighborhood,and when I hit the 10,it hit different65 miles an hour felt like 95,felt my car was goingto fall apart around me.Everyone was speeding and weaving.I haven't felt danger driving like thatsince I was a teenager,back then I was the one causing it.It hit me in that momentthat COVID-19 did something to our roads.Life is totally different nowand so it was driving,traffic is down, takeovers are taking overand we're living througha road trip renaissance,but accidents are doubling,so how has this global pandemicmaking our roads more dangerous?COVID-19 has ravaged our way of lifeand the roads are no exception,so let's take a look at theways driving has changed,from racing, to road tripsand everywhere in between.I'm big thank you to Rayconfor sponsoring today's episode.- Nolan honey,you want to come out and talk politicswith all the big grown-up?- No mom, jeez,- Nolan, what's a cool cat like youdoing down in the dumps?- Oh, nothing Tickling Tony,It's just that, I love my family,but being home for theholidays can be stressful.- Ah, yes, family.You know, I once had a family oncebut that's a story for a different day.How about you slide in thosecomfy everyday e25 earbudsand rest your weary mind.- You sound just as good asthose other premium brandsbut at half the price.- That's right, yousmooth talking Pellatanand better yet with Rayconyou can escape those awkwardholiday conversationswith six hours of playtime.- Oh, Tickling Tony,I hope we're never apart- Oh, I'm not going anywhere Nolanyou got to say the magic words baby.- Ooh you mean, just clickthe link in the descriptionor head over to buyraycon.com/donutto get the year's best dealof a limited time 20% off,your entire Raycon purchase.- Nolan,your uncle Jerry's here.- Where's my favorite nephew.(Nolan screaming)- Let's start at the beginningtowards the start of thepandemic around late Marchthe whole world began to lockdown,restaurants closed,people started to work from home,even Disneyland shut its Gates,and we all slowly realizedthat a big bowl of crapwas gonna hit the fan.In the US from February toApril there was a 41% decreasein personal miles traveled.Car heavy cities likeLA saw traffic declinedby as much as 80% in theearly months of the pandemic.80%!LA hadn't seen roads so empty since 1929,it was kind of awesome honestly,the air quality got way better,you could get anywherein LA in 20 minutes,which is unheard of.My postnasal drip really improved as well.So it's kind of inevitablethat people started racing more,takeovers and streetraces were everywhere,I'm talking to drag racingon the 405 and Donutsin front of the Staple Center.Events are promoted throughsocial media and word of mouth,so it's pretty impossible to controlhow many people show up,just the whole ton of peoplehaving a whole ton of fun,just vibing.This is happening all over the country,Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento,LA, Portland evenhave all seen it drasticincrease in the street racing.When cops shut one down,three more pop up,each bigger and rowdier than the last.Not only is law enforcementseverely outnumberedbut people can see themcoming from a mile awayand with no one else on the roadit's a lot easier to getaway if the cops show up.In New York streetracing has grown so muchthat a Senator introducedan anti-racing billthat would keep the speedcameras on throughout the nightand broaden the definitionof illegal street races.It was named the Furious Billbecause lawmakers and boomersthat only have one point of referencewhen it comes to street racing,I'm actually surprised they didn't call itthe Two Lane Blacktop Billor the American Graffiti Act.But it wasn't just street racersthat were ripping downthese empty streets,it was everybody,all of us.The Corona virus lockdownled to everyday driversacross the countryspeeding more frequentlyand it speeds than ever before.Transportation analytics firm INRIXreported that in the first week of Aprilhighway speed in major metropolitanareas increased by 75%.That's insane.Let's look at New York city.At the end of March in Manhattantraffic was down by 90%,however, the Borough issued 60%more speeding camera ticketsthan in March of the previous year.In DC traffic dropped by 80%,but speeding tickets increased by 20and highway patrol officers in Californiaclaim that since stay at homeorders had gone into effectit had become commonplace to stop driversgoing a 100 miles per hour or higher,but it wasn't just speeding.In Boston, though traffic dove by 50%,accidents and fatalities doubled in Apriland this wasn't an isolated occurrence,Missouri, Memphis and Minnesotahave also experiencedincreases in accidentsin car related deaths sadly.Drivers weren't just driving fastthey were also driving recklessly,dangerously and sometimes angrily.In yet another paradoxical situation,even though traffic isdown road rage is up.In May the Zebra conducted a surveythat found out that19.3% of drivers admittedto feeling anger or aggressionwhile driving in the past year,and those are just theones willing to admit it.By all accounts road rageseems to be on the riseacross the country.In lockdown people were speeding,driving recklessly and road raging.And look, I get why this is happening,all the negative feelings of job loss,COVID anxiety, cabin fever,they all came to a headand you rage out on your fellow drivers,I've done it myself,told some guy to (beep)off and it felt amazing.The entire human race is sufferinga huge traumatic event at the same time,so of course we're gonnabe driving like maniacs,but the reality is that thisstuff leads to accidents,injuries, and fatalities,and in a global pandemicemergency rooms need thespace that they can get.On a lighter note somepretty awesome thingscame out of that initial lockdown as well.I mentioned earlierthat the empty COVIDroads improved air qualityand that's a bit of an understatement.In the spring of 2020notoriously smoggy placeslike my home of Los Angelesand my summer home Beijingsaw the best air they'd seen in years,and sure human beings were falling ill,but mother nature it seemedwas living her best life,I mean, aside from the maskthat people just threw onthe ground, come on guys.One of them most amusing effectsof the environmental upturnwas how wild animals all over the worldemerged from obscurityand took to the streets.Remember when the internet explodedwith videos of the crystalclear Venice canalsthe normally murkywaterways had fish, dolphinsand even jellyfish in them.The same thing was happeninghere on the street,here in California, coyoteswere cruising down Kohanga,in India and Thailand monkeysflooded the motorways,and in Wales, wild goatsroamed the streets.When the humans are awaythe wildlife comes out to playand I think that's pretty awesome.But now we're a little past thatdeserted initial phase of the pandemic,eight months in the COVID-19traffic has begun to reboundbut it's definitely not the same.So, I was driving different now?Depending on where you are geographicallytraffic has probably gone back to normal,as recently as Junetraffic in the US hasrebounded to approximately 90%of pre-pandemic levels.In some States, peopleare driving even morethan they were before COVID hit,who's driving?Well, let's start with the obvious answer.Essential workers, peoplelike doctors, nurses,grocery store, and restaurant staffstill have to commute to their workplacesand never really left the road.In addition to them thereare a whole lot moredelivery drivers out there now.So, people are still ordering takeout,having groceries deliveredand spending their savings onunnecessary Amazon purchases.with the increase indelivery drivers on the roadcomes an increase in doubleparking, distracted driving,people navigating areasthey're unfamiliar with.You may have noticedthat there are also morebicyclists, scooteristand pedestrians out there,though most public transportationis up and running again,buses and trains aren't COVID proof,the airflow isn't exactly optimal,so cautious commutershave taken to the streetsopting for an open air breezeas opposed to that stale fake subway windwhich is what you get afteryou order a meatball sub.(farting)But there's no way everyoneis going to work, right?with unemployment at historic levelsthat can't be happening.So where the heck is everyone going?If my Instagram feed is any indicationeveryone and their mom wenton a road trip this summer.I don't know about you,but I can't look at my phone nowwithout seeing a grand Canyon group shotor a Yosemite selfie.With air traffic down by 70% this year,it seems like roadtripping is right up therewith baking sourdough.You know what it makes sense,conventional vacationingisn't the safest right now,so travel junkies arefinding their way around itthrough long haul travel.You know, you got campingand even offroading.Van life was already popular beforebut now it's upand overlanding is making its wayinto the mainstream as well, it's great.I tried hiking the other weekendand I mean, I'm a very active shape,but I understand it now.So, if they're not on theirway to a national park,commuting to work ordelivering your Donut merch,chances are high that they'reactually driving nowhere.With cabin fever spreadingas well the phrase,let's take a drive is making a comeback.Another unexpected effect thepandemic has had on drivingoccurred in the used car market.A lot of buyers, myself includedthought that COVID-19would mean major savingson a secondhand ride.They thought dealerships and sellerswould be slashing pricesin order to combat aslowdown in the economy.Then when the Hertz rentalcars filed for bankruptcyback in June,we were all but positive that the marketwould swing into the buyer's favor,but alas, none of this happened.It's a seller's market right now,and it has been for all the quarantine.Demand for used cars is way updue to plummeting interest ratesand a shortage of new vehicleswas brought on by a twomonth halt in productionwhen factories closed down,edmunds.com reportedthat the average list priceof used vehicles in Julywas $21,558, which is $708higher than it was in June.They also reported 22% more used carssold in June this year than last year.So if you're hoping to save some moneyon a used car during quarantine,you weren't the only one,but if you have one to let go of,now's the time to sell, sell sell, baby.We've gone over the many ways COVIDhas broken our roads in this video,but the question is,will they ever be the same?Well, the short answer is no.The lifestyle changesthat COVID brought aboutare proven to have lastingeffects on our economy,infrastructure and psychic.Do you remember what airtravel was like before 911.(upbeat music)You could keep yourshoes on the entire timeand even meet people at the gate.I personally never experienced thatbut I heard it's pretty awesome,afterwards though things changed forever,but we still fly,it's just different now.Driving is different now too,the way we think aboutdriving is different,it's like a form of escapismfrom a lockdown life,and I don't think that's a bad thing.Sure, we had a couple hiccupsat the beginning therebut we're bouncing backwith a new appreciationfor the joy of driving,and I think it's awesomethat road trips are having a resurgence,and I like the fact that going for a driveis something that people are doingjust to make the daysfeel a little less long.All these car leadcommunities are thrivingand people are rememberingall the great thingsabout cars that we have forgotten.So yeah, I mean, COVID has been awfulbut even the most deadly globalviruses have silver lining.So get out on the roadand please drive safe.Thank you very much forwatching this episodeof Wheelhouse.I know it's kind of heavybut I really think thatI have a new appreciation for drivingand I hope you do too.We have a membership programfor the most hardcore of Donut fans,it's called Donut Underground,you get exclusive videos,exclusive stickers,and merch offers,it's really great.We have a podcast as well,if you don't know it's called Past Gas,everywhere you can get podcasts,it's my favorite thing to do,I love doing it.Be kind and see you next time.