Dramatic drop in ACC claims during lockdown

Staying at home hasn't only helped people stay safe from the coronavirus - during the first half of the lockdown ACC claims dropped by 70 percent.

The 'stay home, stay safe' message seems to be working in more ways than one. With traffic down around 80 percent across the country the number of road accidents has plummeted.

But police are still concerned that when crashes do happen it's often at high speed.

"Drivers just need to slow down and bear in mind that just because there's more space on the road it isn't an invitation for you to speed up," says Gini Welch, acting national manager for road policing.

And while we may be missing sport we won't be missing the injuries that come with it.

Emergency departments say that's one reason patient numbers are down, although there are still some recreational mishaps.

Workplace accidents are down, but what about the new workplace - home?

"What we're seeing is what we normally see in the home, it's the slips, the trips and the falls," says ACC head of injury prevention Isaac Carlson.

And that includes an increase in animal-related injuries, like being knocked over by the dog. Yet injuries in the home have still halved.

"It's somewhat surprising but I think people are being more cautious," Carlson says.

"That being said I wouldn't be surprised if after lockdown we see people seek medical help for some minor injuries that they may be managing on their own at this time."

And there's a reminder to take care as life eases back to normal, so level 3 doesn't see you ending up in hospital.