Women admit poor sense of direction

Back

Women motorists are less confident than men about finding their way to their destinations, with nearly half saying they lack a sense of direction, a study has found.

In comparison, 85% of men thought their sense of direction was very good, according to a poll for courier company Boxby.

A quarter of the 1,087 women surveyed admitted that they often lose their way while driving, with two-thirds of them getting lost in their own home towns.

Also, 29% of women admitted they had asked a partner or friend to park their car, with 42% confessing they would drive past a parking space if it looked too difficult to get into.

But 78% of them said they were good map readers, with more than half rating themselves better than men in this area.

Meanwhile, only 11% of 870 men polled reckon they need to work on their sense of direction, while nearly three quarters said they did not need maps or sat-navs. However, more than a third of females disagreed with the assessment saying the men they knew had trouble with directions quite often.

Around 72% of men preferred to drive on rather than stop to ask for directions, which three-quarters of women found annoying.

Boxby.co.uk managing director Sandra Patterson said: "There's no doubt that there is a certain stereotype surrounding female drivers, which is a real shame. I think our study proves that men often think they are the stronger sex when it comes to driving, especially in terms of confidence."

Get a car insurance or home insurance quote now.