Long traffic jams, bickering siblings, extreme boredom – most parents will know the signs to look out for when trying to prevent a full-blown backseat temper tantrum on a family holiday.
Now a statistician has calculated the exact formula for predicting the chances, and timing, of children throwing a tantrum in the back of a car during a long journey.
According to Dr James Hind, from Nottingham Trent University, T = 70 + 0.5E + 15F - 10S is the code parents can use to crack the probability of backseat breakdowns.
Dr Hind’s research, based on responses from 2,000 parents, found that the time (T) the average child will typically take to throw a tantrum during a long car journey is 70 minutes.
The chances of a tantrum are reduced by every minute a child is entertained (E), while food (F) will allow parents to delay the tantrum by 15 minutes. But having siblings (S) in the car was found to increase the chances of backseat breakdowns by 10 minutes.
The research, developed alongside LV= Britannia Rescue, found the average child will ask “are we nearly there?” 32 minutes into a car journey and four times during the ride.
As families prepare for long drives ahead of the bank holiday weekend, the survey found that boredom is the primary cause of backseat tantrums – cited by 68% of parents – followed by the journey being too long (62%) and kids being hungry (57%).
Dr Hind said: “If you have only one child, and you can keep them entertained and occasionally bribe them with food, you could manage two hours of tantrum-free driving.
“Unfortunately, two children with no entertainment and no snacks can brew up a tantrum in just 40 minutes.
“Snacks are important but there is a limit to how much they can help, so keep them to two an hour max. Entertainment is key, but even that fails with really long journey times.
“Taking breaks to ‘reset the clock’ is important for preventing tantrums, as well as making sure you are not tired while driving.”
Henry Topham, managing director of LV= Britannia Rescue, added: “Travelling with young kids in the backseat is never easy, and the research and formula highlights the considerations parents will no doubt experience all over the UK this weekend.”
