Expert cracks the code to predict kids’ car backseat tantrums

The "exact formula" for estimating the likelihood—and timing—of a child yelling out during a long car ride has been developed by a statistician.

Dr James Hind from Nottingham Trent University claims that T = 70 + 0.5E + 15F - 10S is the formula parents can use to calculate the likelihood of their children having car accidents in the backseat.

Dr Hind's research, which was developed alongside LV= Britannia Rescue and 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.

Every minute a child is entertained (E) reduces the likelihood of a tantrum, while food (F) allows parents to postpone the tantrum by 15 minutes; however, having siblings (S) in the car was found to increase the likelihood of backseat breakdowns by 10 minutes.

According to the study, most kids will inquire as to whether they are "nearly there." Repeat it four times while driving, starting 32 minutes into the trip.

The survey found that boredom is the leading cause of backseat tantrums, cited by 68% of parents, followed by the journey being too long (62%) and the kids being hungry (6%), as families get ready for long road trips ahead of the bank holiday weekend (57 per cent).

Dr Hind, a professor in the School of Science and Technology at Nottingham Trent University, said that if you only have one child and you can keep them occupied and occasionally bribe them with food, you could manage two hours of tantrum-free driving. Unfortunately, two kids without toys or snacks can start a temper tantrum in just 40 minutes.

There is a limit to how much snacks can help, so limit your intake to two per hour at most. The most important thing is to have fun, but even that falls short on really long trips.

(With inputs from agencies)

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