Findings by Kia show that two thirds of Mums find that their children distract them while driving and over four in ten Mums have had a near miss or a crash because they were sidetracked by their children on the way to school.
Parenting on Female First
Furthermore, over two thirds of mums who have the pressure of getting to work on time fear the school run will make them late – for one in six mums this is a reality. More than half of mums say that if there was another safe way of getting their kids to school they would opt for the alternative instead.
Wel, now there is. The Kia Walking Bus offers an alternative to the stressful school run, helps children keep fit and reduces the number of cars on the road. Creating a Walking Bus is simple, trained adult volunteers walk a group of children to their school.
A ‘driver’ picks up children en route to school and leads the group, while a ‘conductor’ takes position at the rear of the ‘bus’ to ensure any stragglers are not left behind. With Walk to School Month kicking off in October, now is the perfect time to embrace this scheme.
The St Mary Bourne Primary School in Hampshire has recently taken up the Walking Bus initiative. Head Teacher Jonathan Nelson said of the scheme: “The Kia Walking Bus scheme is a great way to get the children active in the mornings. Walking to school makes sure they’re alert and ready for the day, and it also teaches them about road safety as well as the benefits of not using cars all the time.
"On average there are over 30 children walking to school every day as part of the scheme, so the support we get from our local Kia dealership makes a real difference," he said.
There is a flipside to the school run though. Mums say they can enjoy a bit of time for themselves – half listen to music on their way home, and one in three say they just want some blissful silence! But the best thing about the school run for most Mums is when they collect their kids in the afternoon, they get to hear about their day.
Sitting in the back seat of the car, one in three mums think their kids sometimes forget they’re there, so it’s a great opportunity for a bit of eavesdropping too.
Would you opt for the Kia Walking Bus when it comes to the school-run? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
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Shabana Adam