Alamy
If your morning dash to get out the door includes a last minute rush round the house for a missing PE kit, checking your kids have brushed their teeth and trying to remember just how many of their friends you've got to pick up; it's no surprise so many parents start the school run feeling stressed.
Despite reports of preening parents spending longer getting ready than their kids, over half of all parents are in a panic to leave on time according to research from Post Office car insurance.
Safety on the school run is a casualty of our frantic morning rush with one in four parents admitting to breaking speed limits to get their kids to school on time, while one in six parents jump the lights to avoid being late at the school gate. Dads it seems are worse than mums when it comes to speeding. According to the study over a third of dads break the speed limit compared with a fifth of mums.
One in twelve parents say they forget to 'buckle up' either themselves or their children which means they're twice as likely to be killed if they're involved in a car crash. And when it comes to finding a parking space near the school gates over one in 10 parents admit to parking illegally.
ROSPA, (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) says evidence shows there's an increased number of accidents during school run times; typically between 8-9am and 4-6pm.
Safety should be paramount in parents' minds, but dangerous drivers also run the risk of 'on the spot' fines and points on licences which can make for a costly school run.
If there's a parking problem near your child's school, say local residents being blocked in or parking on yellow lines, contact the local police who may make impromptu visits to monitor parents' driving and parking habits and dish out fines.
Have you broken the law on the school run?
Have you ever double parked?
What do you think of school run parents who don't put their kids safety first?