ROADTRIP WARNING: 20% of accidents caused by distracting kids

Stay Safe on Staycation! A fifth of parents have had a near-miss behind the wheel after being distracted by kids

– Insurer reveals the types of accident that are more frequent for parent drivers-

• More than one in 10 parent drivers admit they’ve had a major accident as a result of being distracted by kids
• A quarter of parents admit to driving while distracted
• More than a third of parent drivers say kids are the single biggest distraction when driving
• Top 10 hacks revealed for a calmer journey, as voted for by parents

A new investigation[i] by Admiral Car Insurance has revealed a worrying number of parents are being driven to distraction when their kids are in the car and it’s putting them at risk of accidents. With staycations and road trips on the rise this summer, the insurance giant is urging families to be prepared before they set off behind the wheel to minimise their risk of being involved in an accident.

The research found that one in four (26%) parents always or very often feel distracted when driving with their kids in the car – whatever the age of their children. And over a fifth (22%) of parents have felt angry with their kids while driving.

Accidents caused by distracting kids

For more than a third (34%) of parent drivers, having children in the car is the biggest cause of distraction whilst driving.

Nearly one in five (18%) parents have experienced a near miss in the car thanks to being distracted by their children, with this figure rising to 25% of parents with children under the age of two.

The investigation found that 14% of drivers with children admitted to having a major accident after being distracted by having kids in the car, rising to 20% of parent drivers with children under the age of eight.

Meanwhile, 16% of parents confessed to having a minor accident as a result of being distracted by their children in the car, and a further 16% admitted to scratching their alloys on the kerb after being distracted.

Type of accidents more likely for parent drivers

As part of the investigation, Admiral reviewed car insurance claims made by policyholders with children aged 16 and under to find out the types of accidents they were more frequently involved in, compared to non-parents.

The types of accident claims more frequent among parent drivers include:

• An accident in a car park
• Hitting a bollard while parking
• Hitting a lamp post
• Hitting an open car door
• Having someone else drive into their open car door
• Hitting a wall
• Hitting a post
• Hitting another parked car

Are we nearly there yet?

When asked about the specific distractions their children caused while in the car, parents rated car sickness the top cause of concern, followed closely by crying and siblings fighting.

How children distract parent drivers:

Based on children of all ages

But, for parents of the youngest children (aged under two), crying topped the list of the biggest distractions on car journeys (60%), followed by kids dropping something in the footwell (51%) and fighting with siblings (48%).

Dreading the drive

As well as putting drivers at risk of accidents, on average, 22% of parents confessed that they completely dread or feel nervous about driving their kids on a long journey (more than one hour) with this figure rising to one in three (33%) parents of children under the age of two.

One in 10 parents with kids said they completely dread driving other people’s children, and one in four (23%) said other people driving their own kids made them feel nervous.

In fact, some parents dislike driving children so much that they’d rather suffer a host of other passengers in their car. One in ten (9%) said a tipsy partner is a more appealing passenger, 16% said they’d rather drive a critical parent and 14% stated a work colleague with body odour would be a preferable passenger than their own kids.

Top 10 ways to keep kids calm, as voted for by parents

To help drivers keep their focus on the road rather than their little rascals, Admiral asked parents which solutions worked best for them at calming the kids and diminishing distractions.

When it comes to in car games, a third (33%) of parents voted I spy as the top option, followed by ‘first person to spot’ in second place and the ‘number plate’ game in third.

Details of these and other in car games to help parents calm their kids on journeys are available on the Admiral website.

Clare Egan, Head of Motor Product at Admiral and a parent driver herself, said: “Many families will be opting for staycations and road-trips this summer after spending a lot of time at home with kids during lockdown. But driving with young children in the car can be a challenge at times, whether they’re crying, arguing, dropping toys or requesting snacks and as this investigation shows, this can result in accidents.

“Worryingly, 14% of parents told us they’ve had a major accident whilst distracted by their children, and many have had minor accidents.

“Nobody wants to put their children or other road users at risk. Being prepared for a journey certainly helps take the stress out of the journey, and whether it’s a game, their favourite playlist or an electronic tablet, minimising distractions means you can concentrate better on the road, keeping you, your family and other drivers safe.

“Personally, I find music to be the best solution for my children (Leo, aged 5 and Noah, aged 8) on shorter journeys but always take an iPad on longer journeys to break up the trip. Having some easily accessible snacks to hand is a good back up if all else fails as long as you don’t mind the crumbs in the back of the car!”

A panel of parent drivers from Admiral also shared their tips for driving with children:

• Take some favourite toys for them, which won’t break a window or damage your upholstery;
• Keep some emergency snacks in the glove box – hunger makes children crazy, just be careful if you don’t have another adult passenger in the car to assist with passing or unwrapping food;
• Kids Kindles, iPad and other devices are used in our car as a last resort. I used to be bored as a child on long trips and they can be too;
• Prepare Spotify playlists for each child in advance – then allow 15 minutes each, taking in turns;
• Audio books with jaunty tunes work well – for example Julia Donaldson;
• Be prepared for an hour-long game of ‘Eye spy’. If children are too young for this, get them to look for things of a certain colour instead;
• Time your journey so it doesn’t matter if they fall asleep and impact bedtime later;
• If they start to squabble, shout ‘cows’, ‘horses’ or ‘bus’ depending on your surroundings, to distract them;
• Always take spare clothes with you. And be prepared for at least one child to need to pee on the side of the road;
• Keep a potty, loo roll and wipes in a bag in your boot – children always need to go when miles from services or whilst stuck in traffic;
• Keep a spare carrier bag in the car for car sickness – in fact two: one to be sick in and one to put sick covered clothes/car seats into.