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.
