With the half term school holidays upon us, British motorists will enjoy an average 12 minute quicker commute each day on their way into work this week. This equates to more than half a day throughout the year.
Car insurance specialist, elephant.co.uk polled 3,000 motorists to ask them how much quicker the morning commute is during the school holidays. The average was 12 minutes and seven seconds, equal to an hour and 36 seconds in a week, or nearly 13 and a quarter hours over a year*.
One in ten motorists save between 30 minutes and an hour a day on their morning commute, due to less traffic on the roads during the school holidays. This could mean up to five hours extra time at home during this week's half term holiday.
Londoners enjoy the most time off their commute during the school holidays. The average motorist in the capital finds their commute nearly 16 minutes shorter when there is no school run traffic. The second most time saved is by motorists in Northern Ireland whose commute is 13 and a half minutes shorter, followed by those in the West Midlands who save an average of 12 minutes and 50 seconds.
Brian Martin, managing director of elephant.co.uk, said: "It's estimated that 20% of cars on the roads in the rush hour are in the school run**. Our research shows how removing that traffic has a big impact on many motorists' commutes, which could lead to lower stress levels.
"Twelve minutes might not sound like much time, but when you add those twelve minutes up over all the school holidays. It equates to an awful lot of extra time you can enjoy at home, rather than being stuck in the car."
*Based on average time saved 12 minutes and seven seconds over 13 weeks school holiday a year.
**Research by the Sutton Trust
Issue date: 26-05-09 |
