MP3s replace traditional car games

A survey of children's activities during car journeys has revealed that three quarters of the children are listening to personal MP3 players.

Slightly less than half of the respondents play games on portable devices, and about a third say that they read magazines whilst on the move.

The length of time that children say it takes them to get fed up, however, is just ten minutes.

This probably accounts for the one in five children, who admitted to fighting with other passengers during their journeys.

This will come as little to surprise to caravan owners, who regularly battle to keep their children entertained on long journeys.

"Bored kids and long car journeys are not a happy mix," Gill Murphy, a spokesperson for Privilege Insurance.

"Our research shows that a third of parents claim that the in-car antics of their children distract them from their driving."

Privilege Insurance, in common with motoring organisations such as the AA, is trying to encourage children to play more traditional observation games - such as I-spy and number plate games.

18/10/2007 14:43:14