A recent statistic
of both male and female Max Power Readers, in association with the RAC, revealed
almost 9 in 10 younger drivers aged 17-30 had suffered from road rage being
directed toward them or had carried out acts of road rage themselves.
Another recent
Gallup poll revealed 80.4% of British drivers stated they had been victims of
road rage incidents. Simply terrifying.
These figures indicate
that at some point the majority of us have experienced, or will experience the
phenomena known as road rage. Even more terrifying.
A ‘Road Rage Gauge’tool has been created by Carcraft to allow people to ascertain just how ‘ragey’
they really are, and what factors, and scenarios can contribute towards making
their blood boil (Well worth checking out as one lucky person will be selected to win £250 just for using the gauge!)
So, be it drivers
not indicating, driving too fast (or too slow), undertaking, overtaking aggressively,
tailgating, using their mobiles (can you believe some people still do that?!)
or the kids sat behind you driving you slowly nuts, the reasons behind
incidents are many.
As a parent, the
main worry for me is with keeping children entertained for the duration of a
journey…to ensure as little distraction for the driver as possible.
Distractions
These have been
around since adults started strapping their kids in the back of cars and taking
them out. Old they may be but proven to help with long journeys, they certainly
are.
A) Toys
and activity centres- Toy steering wheels and dashboards, kick mats with inbuilt
toys and activity centres. There are so many of these available, your little
one will be spoiled for choice.
B)
Childrens
CD’s and audio downloads-Ideal for sing-a-longs on long journeys. From the
nursery rhyme classics to more contemporary tunes, the selection is incredible,
and that’s before you go down the route of audio books. Just try not to get too
hooked listening to the story yourself whilst driving!
C)
Car Games-True
classics. These can include eye-spy, Red car/Yellow car, the number plate game
or even some that may be unique to you and your family. Long trips can become
very pleasant, and favourites memories of holiday thanks to fun interaction
between parent and child
These are just
some suggestions and will not work for all age groups however many can be
adapted for most age ranges and should help you to have one less thing to be
distracted by whilst you and your family are on the roads!
Do you have any
hints or tips of how to have a tranquil drive whilst your child or children are
with you? If so I’d love to hear about them! Post your suggestions and comments
in the space below!
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