Traffic CHAOS: 3.4 m cars predicted to clog up the roads on THIS date...avoid the roads!
TRAFFIC on the UK’s roads are predicted to peak this weekend as families head on their summer holidays.
With many school terms finishing for the summer holidays this week, 37 million leisure trips are predicted to hit the roads for the next two weeks.
Nightmare traffic is set to peak on Saturday as 3.4 million leisure journeys hit the roads n what is anticipated to be the worst traffic weekend this summer.
New research released today by Virgin Trains reveals the biggest “cargument” triggers for British parents ahead of the much-anticipated busiest weekend on the roads as an estimated 3.4 million cars hit the road this Saturday as the great summer getaway begins.
The nationwide study of more than 2,000 parents found that almost half of families have argued in the car in the last week alone - with 62 per cent believing arguments could have been avoided had they opted to travel by train.
I’m still haunted by a car journey back from Somerset to South East London that took seven hours as opposed to four because of motorway tailbacks and road closures.
With hundreds of schools breaking up today (July 21) and thousands of families hitting the road, arguments will include who gets to sit where, what music is played and whether windows should be down or up.
Close to 50 per cent of parents revealed they use the car “most of the time” when going on long-distance journeys, but just as many (46 per cent) agreed the train was the far better experience.
One third have even had to cut their journeys short after in-car arguments got out of hand.
What’s more 75 per cent have felt frustrated at being stuck behind the wheel when the kids started misbehaving.
The top 10 ‘cargument’ triggers for UK families are:
1. Who gets to sit where
2. What plays on the stereo
3. Whether windows should be down or up
4. Temperature too hot
5. Kids kicking the back of the seat in front
6. The volume of gadgets like iPads, Nintendo DSec etc. being too high
7. Who has to sit in the ‘middle’s eat
8. That someone broke wind
9. Someone keeps singing an annoying song
10. Air conditioning too cold
Top 5 reasons why parents think kids argue on car journeys:
1. Boredom
2. They know they can wind up their siblings as there’s nowhere for them to go
3. Hungry
4. They think they can get away with more as the parents are usually int he front and can’t stop them
5. They just like arguing
Psychologist and relationship expert, Dr Becky Spelman, who teamed up with Virgin Trains on the research, said: “Your brain is in a hyper-vigilant state when driving, on top of concentrating on the road there are so many distractions. This will affect how we regulate both our emotions and reactions, so it’s no surprise that 46 per cent of parents think travelling by train is the best option.
“The study also found tat 62 per cent believe their kids argue in the car because of boredom and 19 per cent because they think they can get away with it while their parents are behind the wheel. Both triggers are avoidable on the train.”
Parenting blogger and mum of three, Becky Freeman, of The Spirited Puddle Jumper, agrees: “Our family loves using the train wherever possible for long journeys, especially now we have three children in tow.
“I’m still haunted by a car journey back from Somerset to South East London that took seven hours as opposed to four because of motorway tailbacks and road closures. There was fighting, whinging, endless toilet stops and tears (mine!) - never again.
“Not only do we rarely argue on the train, there is space to move around, things for the kids to do and a toilet is never far away - something you can’t put a price on!”
Patrick McCall, Co-Chairman of Virgin Trains, which commissioned the research, added: “Our on-board Wi-Fi, refreshments on tap, movies, magazines and more on Beam, and, of course, toilets are the perfect solution to these avoidable car arguments - getting holidays off to the best start and giving families more quality time together from the moment they leave the house.”
To help families tackle the season of ‘carguments’ and start their trip in a more relaxing and enjoyable way, Virgin Trains is launching a summer family promotion on its East Coast route, offering 50 per cent off family travel on selected routes between August 7 and September 10, for journeys booked between July 31 and September 2.
On the west coast, Virgin Trains’ family ticket is a super flexible, anytime Standard return that can be booked for as little as £99 for a journey from London to Manchester or Liverpool for a family of four.
These are the worst times to travel during this summer holidays.