School run - Most stressful time of day

Mums are most stressed at 8.25am, according to a study commissioned by Uniroyal Tyres. The research shows mums consider 8.25am, when on the school run to be the worst part of their day as they struggle with getting the kids to school on time. Four in ten mums claim the school run is enough to make the most patient of people lose their cool.

Getting the children out of bed and into their uniform, packing the school bags and encouraging everyone to eat all of their breakfast means mums are frazzled before they even get out the door.

And in a rush to get to school on time, 45 per cent of stressed mums have shouted at other drivers in a fit of road rage. Forty two per cent of mums have even snapped at the kids on the way to school, regardless of whether they are behaving or not.

More than half of mums then drive to work after they have dropped the kids off at school, but admit their morning routine gives them a bad start to the day.

Tracey Hyem from Uniroyal which conducted the poll of 2,000 mums said: “Getting everything and everyone ready and dropping the kids at school makes a very stressful start of the day for mums.

“Driving is something that requires concentration and when you add wet weather into the mix the situation can get tricky.

“One in five mums drive the kids to school when it’s raining, when they would normally walk. This adds to the cars on the road, and with the distractions and stress generated, extra care is essential. All drivers need to increase the distance between themselves and the vehicle in front to account for increased stopping distances in the wet weather.”

Psychologist Donna Dawson commented: “There is nothing more stressful or potentially distracting than travelling with children to be somewhere quickly, and both stress and distraction eat into concentration while driving. 

“The only way to prepare for this – apart from organising as much as you can the night before and setting the alarm to allow for plenty of time – is to accept that you will feel stressed, and to plan to deal with it as it arises.

“At the beginning of a stressful moment, take a few, deep, slow breaths. While driving, make yourself extra alert, and even slow down a bit. If possible take a mental ‘step back’ and try to see the funny side of things, even by having a laugh with the kids. There is nothing like ‘humour’ to decrease stress, as it floods your mind and body with feel-good chemicals.”

Bad weather was also revealed to play a part in heightening mums’ stress levels. Nearly eight in 10 hate driving in snow and ice and 44 per cent avoid getting in the car when it’s foggy.

Another third find the winter sun and its glare on wet roads difficult, whilst three in 10 feel on edge driving in the rain. One in five went as far as to say they dislike driving in the dark.

And once mum is safely on her way to work, she finds it hard to wind down after her hectic start to the day. In fact, mums reckon it takes them at least 14 minutes of driving to calm down after dropping the kids off at school, and 40 per cent admit their driving takes the brunt of their bad mood.

Just under half of mums polled say they have been guilty of poor driving because they were late for work, and the average mum suffers up to three near-misses during the course of one year as she rushes between school and work.

Tracy Hyem added: “The fact that three of the top ten most stressful parts of the day are driving related is very revealing.

“Parents do spend a lot of time rushing around in the car. Finding ways to reduce stress aids concentration and increases focus on the road, making it safer for everyone.”