Impact of school run on traffic revealed

23 Apr 2019

If you've been enjoying the quieter roads during the Easter school holidays, then you won't be surprised to read new research that has analysed just how much the school run impacts congestion.

A study by Admiral has discovered traffic levels increase by an average of around a fifth during term time, with road users facing typical delays of up to 15 minutes.

Commuters in the north-west of England benefit most from the school holidays, when their average drive to work drops from 41 minutes to just 25 minutes, while there were found to be 43 per cent fewer collisions during school drop-off times in the holidays.

Furthermore, the study found 80 per cent of those dropping their children off by car could easily use alternative forms of transport that wouldn't clog up the roads.

Head of motor at Admiral Sabine Williams said: "Our investigation has laid bare the impact of the school run on the morning commute, with proof that dropping children at school or nursery is affecting all commuters, both those with and without children."

Earlier this month, research from George Washington University found four million cases of childhood asthma worldwide could be caused by air pollution from traffic.