The kids might be driving mum to distraction at home this summer but new research from Diamond – the women's car insurance expert - reveals the road back to school may be a bumpy ride. Diamond's latest findings show that accidents among parent drivers double during the September school run*.
The findings, taken from Diamond's own claims data, reveal that accidents increase in September by 18% for all drivers, however, for parents the increase is a whopping 46% - accounting for over a quarter (26%) of all claims made.
Thursday morning, during the September school run, is revealed as the safest time for parents to take their kids to school; whilst just a few hours later the Thursday afternoon school run is the riskiest of the week.
Some of the most common contributory factors to road accidents include impairment due to fatigue, inattention and behavioural factors such as ‘stress' and ‘being in a hurry'**, so it's even more important for parents to remember to take their time and try not to be distracted.
Diamond's Managing Director, Sian Lewis says: "Our research shows that school run mums and dads are twice as likely to have a crash during the school run. It doesn't take much for a distraction to cause an accident therefore we're urging parents, especially those new to the school term to be extra cautious, particularly during the back to school period. Remember – it's better to be safe than a few minutes late."
Parent drivers in and around London have the most number of school run accidents during September, closely followed by parents in the South West. Whereas drivers in the North West make the least number of claims during this ‘back to school' month.
Top Tips for keeping the kids tame in the car
1. Keep the peace – Try to keep as calm as possible as if you're stressed you're likely to pass this on to your children
2. Plan ahead – give yourself plenty of time to get the children and bags in the car and to drive to/from school accounting for rush hour traffic, make sure you have enough petrol so you don't have to stop during the journey.
3. Make sure the kids are comfortable – kids can get grumpy if they're too hot / cold, hungry or if they don't have enough space due to clutter.
4. Rotate seating – to add a bit of variety to the daily route – switch around places in the car.
5. Stop the car and settle the situation – if the kids are distracting you – stop the car to diffuse the situation and only proceed once things are calm. |
Issue date: 10-09-07
*Research based on Diamond claims data 2006 - September and August figures for accidents during the hours of 8am – 9am and 3pm - 4pm.
**Department of Transport: Contributory factors to road accidents, Transport Statistics: Road Safety (1999-2002)
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