Parents of five to 17-year-olds report that car-sickness can occur after 18 minutes – which for many children on the school run can mean that it is a daily occurrence. 43 per cent of parents say that their primary school-aged child has experienced at least one incidence of travel related illness.
Over half of parents say that reading a book whilst travelling is one of the main triggers of motion-sickness, although the rise of in-car entertainment DVD screens, or portable games consoles, also affects almost a third of youngsters that travel. A further 30 per cent of parents also blame snacking for the sensation of feeling unwell.
The RAC patrol of the year, Iain Vale, says: "Car sickness is never a pleasant experience for parents or kids themselves, but it can also be dangerous if it causes drivers to become distracted from the road.
"To make sure you’re still driving carefully, the RAC recommends that drivers always wait until they can safely pull over to assist children, rather than try to help them while driving on the road."
Solutions which work to ease the nausea are to wind down the window (44 per cent), travel sickness over-the-counter medicine (27 per cent) and sitting close to the window (20 per cent). The RAC also advises that keeping children with an empty stomach can be counter-productive, and that they should sip at water to avoid dehydration – rather than gulp down large quantities and need to stop for a comfort break.
