The spiralling cost of motoring is forcing mums to walk the school run, according to a new report by Bridgestone Tyres.
Increased fuel expenses, soaring car insurance premiums and a disproportionate cost of living has left mums with little option but to take shorter journeys - or leave the car in the garage altogether and walk.
Nearly 70 per cent say they are actively trying to use their car less now than they were a year ago.
As a result, many of the 1,500 mums surveyed fear the summer break won't live up to their child's expectations - day trips are likely to be confined to destinations within walking distance.
The number of mums who have stopped using the car to do the school run has dropped by nearly 20 per cent in the last 12 months, with many mums saying they just can't afford to get in the car every day.
Six out of ten mums have been forced to make their kids walk to and from school each day, and nearly half confessed to feeling unable to fill up their petrol tank at some stage during the last year due to financial constraints.
Nine out of ten mums said they were feeling the pinch generally, and three quarters were worried about how much money the school holidays were going to cost them.
One in twenty conceded the economic downturn and slow recovery has already demanded they sell one of their cars, and a further third said that they were considering selling their prized motor - purely because of the cost of fuel.
Additionally, 89 per cent admitted that they are saving less and 47 per cent are regularly overdrawn.
Hardy mums report trying to cut costs by buying own brand food from supermarkets, turning off the heating and lights and treating the kids to fewer rewards - a sad indictment, when these measures have to be taken in order to put petrol in the car.
In encouraging news for environmentalists, 42 per cent have explored the possibility of buying a hybrid car, and nearly two thirds would consider electric cars.
Andy Dingley, Bridgestone UK Communications Manager, said: "High prices at the pump, coupled with the fact that families have less money in their pockets will have an impact on not only how we drive, but what we drive too.
"Eco-friendly vehicles that use fuels other than petrol or diesel are no longer concept cars of the future, but production cars of today. Instead they are cars that are increasingly more relevant to people's lives because they are relevant to their bank balances.
"It's no surprise that mums are feeling the pinch more than anyone else, especially with the summer holidays coming up. Times are quite hard for families at the moment and it seems that they are desperate to cut costs anywhere they can. Our research shows that people are sacrificing journeys because they simply can't afford to fill up as much."
Meanwhile, George Osborne maintains ONS data which showed the economy expanded by 0.2 per cent between April and June represents a "stable" situation which should be embraced as "positive news".
Britain's mums may be inclined to question Osborne's optimism.