How Kildare drivers can avoid back-to-school traffic blues

From forgotten lunchboxes to last-minute searches for school jumpers, mornings are about to get a lot busier as the school run recommences after the summer holidays.

New analysis from Close Brothers Motor Finance released today shines a light on what each county can expect to see on the roads as the new school term gets underway, and it looks like drivers in Kildare will need to buckle up for what’s set to be a busy school run.

The research looked at the number of cars per person in counties across Ireland and reveals there are 2,511,627 cars registered across the country, against a population of 5,525,600.

The top five counties set for the busiest school run are:

1. Dublin with over 2.6 cars per person

2. Donegal with 2.3 cars per person

3. Longford with 2.3 cars per person


4. Monaghan with 2.2 cars per person


5. Louth with 2.2 cars per person

However, Kildare families are not far behind the top five, with 1.9 cars per 254,100 people on Irish roads.

For families in these counties, more cars on the road can mean extra congestion at peak times, particularly around school gates where cars, pedestrians and cyclists are all competing for space. And with some children travelling further afield due to school place availability or limited transport options, avoiding the morning rush isn’t always as simple as choosing to walk or catch the bus.

As a parent himself, Peter Pedlow, Director of Sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: “Every family’s school run looks different. For some it’s a quick trip around the corner, while others have much further to travel, and mornings with kids rarely go according to plan.

“As a dad, I know there’s no magic trick to making the school run stress-free, but a little extra time and consideration for each other can go a long way - whether you’re dropping children at the school gates or simply sharing the road with families who are.”

Peter suggests the following advice for beating the back-to-school traffic blues:

1. Get a head start: Having bags, lunches and P.E. gear ready to go the night before can buy back a few valuable minutes in the morning.

2. Build in a bit of breathing room: Traffic around schools can be unpredictable, so allowing some extra time means a queue doesn’t have to derail the whole morning.

3. Share the school run if it works for you: With some families having to drive further because of school places or transport availability, sharing lifts with another family can help both households, and it means one less car on the road.

4. Save family parking spaces for families: Keeping parent-and-child spaces free at supermarkets, shopping centres and retail parks gives families the room they need to get young children safely in and out of the car on busy days.

5. Expect the unexpected: Children don’t always behave predictably around roads, particularly during the excitement of those first weeks back, so give everyone a little more space and keep your speed to a minimum.”

*All data taken from the Central Statistics Office website