With the new term about to begin, the school run will once again become a headache for many drivers. New research shows that more than two thirds of motorists think that something needs to be done to reduce the number of cars on the school run.
Leading car insurer Admiral surveyed over 1,000 motorists and found that 69% of them think there is too much traffic on the road in term time and parents should be encouraged to find other ways of getting their children to school.
Admiral’s research revealed that more men than women find the number of cars on the school run frustrating. 75% of men said this, compared with 65% of women. It also found that the school run is the biggest headache for motorists in the South East and London.
Sharon Clarke, managing director of Admiral, said: “Our research suggests that something needs to be done to encourage more parents to get their kids to school another way. Maybe through car sharing, walking bus schemes or better public transport.
“It is motorists in London and the South East who are most fed up with school run traffic, these are the areas where the number of cars on the road increases the most during term time. For many people in rural areas such as Scotland and Wales it is a necessity to drive their child to school and this is reflected in our research.”
It is estimated that cars on the school run account for 20% of all rush hour traffic. In the last twenty years the number of children between 5 and 10 years being driven to school has doubled from 22% to 44%.
Percentage of motorists by region who believe there are too many parents driving their children to school and parents should be discouraged from taking their children to school by car:
| REGION |
PERCENTAGE |
| South East |
77% |
| London |
74% |
| South West |
73% |
| North West |
72% |
| Yorkshire |
71% |
| North East |
70% |
| Northern Ireland |
69% |
| West Midlands |
69% |
| East Anglia |
68% |
| East Midlands |
67% |
| Wales |
66% |
| Scotland |
57% |
Issue date: 30-12-05
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