School run most stressful part of day for one in three parents

New research by MORE TH>N Car Insurance has revealed that 31% find it the most stressful part of their entire day and over a quarter (26%) say they find the school run as stressful - if not a more stressful experience -  as buying a house.
 
One in 10 parents claim they arrive at the school gates stressed every single day of the week.
 
The main causes for chaos in the mornings are being rushed out of the house due to running late (42%), arguments breaking out between siblings (42%) and sitting bored in traffic (41%).
 
Four in every five parents (80%) say that the school run is so stressful they find it hard to keep their eyes on the road whilst driving. Indeed 10% of parents surveyed admitted letting their mood get the better of them had caused them to have an accident either by driving into the back of a car, hitting a vehicle front on, or event scraping a car whilst trying to reach the school gates.
 
Parents even rated extreme sports, doing DIY, parents’ evening, and managing the household bills as less stressful than the school drop off.
 
What's more, nearly one in five (23%) kids say they get into the car feeling stressed, or anxious before the school run has even begun and one in 20 (5%) say they arrive for class feeling stressed as a result of the car journey.
 
Fifty-two per cent of parents say having to do the school run affects their family life, with parents averaging at least one argument a day with their children whilst driving them to or from school. 77% of the UK’s kids are being told off on a daily basis on their journey to school either because they have forgotten their homework (53%) or have caused the family to run late (76%).
 
This daily stress is proving too much for some parents, with over half (53%) wishing that someone else could take on the duty of the school run for them. And forget having someone else navigate, one in three (34%) parents think the answer to relieving school run stress is to have someone in the car whose sole responsibility it is to entertain the kids.
 
To help parents on their mission to de-stress the school run, MORE TH>N has teamed up with child psychologist, Sam Wass to recommend tips and techniques to engage kids on the school run and help parents feel less stressed behind the wheel. From meditation to story-telling, Wass’s methods aim to make the school run more enjoyable.