Warning to ‘school runners' - don't neglect child safety

Over one million people have had an accident whilst on the school run in the last five years. Shockingly, research from Sainsbury's Car Insurance also reveals that an estimated 4.2 million people drive with children in their car who are not always secured in the appropriate seating.

A fear of being late for school, work or an appointment is the biggest cause of erratic driving on the school run, with 14% of those polled citing this as their excuse for driving with less care than normal. This is followed by being distracted by children (10%) and traffic congestion (7%). Some 5% of all ‘school run' drivers who have driven more erratically say it was because of tiredness towards the end of the day.

The survey also revealed that around twice as many accidents happen on the morning school run than during the afternoon one, with over 600,000 of those who have had an accident claiming it happened in the morning compared with over 300,000 who had an accident in the afternoon. An unfortunate 136,000 said that they had had an accident on both the morning and afternoon school runs.

Lucy Hunter, Sainsbury's Car Insurance Manager said: "Busy roads, noisy children in the back seat, and the worry of being late can make the school or nursery run very stressful for drivers. Being in a routine doesn't make you immune to these distractions however and at these often hectic times of the day it's important to stay alert and focussed.

"What's most concerning about our findings is that a significant number of people are currently not ensuring that their children are properly secured in the car, so we urge all ‘school run' drivers to double check that their young passengers are strapped in and sitting in the appropriate safety seating."

Those on the school run in the Wales are more likely to have an accident than anyone else, with 7% of school run drivers having had an accident going to or from school in the last five years. Those from Scotland are least likely to have a bump, with less than 1% of school run drivers having had an accident.