Women Let Their Men Do The Driving Abroad
The great majority of women prefer to let their men do the driving when abroad on holidays, according to AA research. 71.4% of men drive ‘most or all of the time’ while on a foreign holiday, only 19.4% of women did so. 9% of respondents said that they shared the driving equally.
The research comes from the AA’s latest Motorists Panel research which surveyed the views of over 10,500 motorists on a range of issues.
"It is very worthwhile to share the driving if you can, especially when you are covering long distances." Says Director of Policy Conor Faughnan. "Holiday driving can mean long hours of concentration. This is not just hard on the kids in the back, it's a prolonged strain on the driver. Take regular breaks, and share the driving if you can."
Driving abroad can be stressful, especially when you have to contend with a left hand drive car and you have to concentrate hard on traffic movements on the 'wrong' side of the road.
"There is no reason why males should be any better at foreign driving than females." Says Faughnan. "As a stereo-type we could say that males, especially young males, take to the challenge of foreign driving with more relish and enthusiasm than their female partners. They may be less nervous, and may volunteer to do the driving, although that is not necessarily a good thing when it comes to safety."
The AA Motorists Panel found that 54.3% of motorists are likely to drive abroad either while on their main holiday or on a short break this year. 18% will drive in Britain, 28.7% will drive somewhere in Europe and 7.6% will drive in North America.
"More and more of us are getting to drive abroad these days." Says Faughnan. "Even if we are not taking the traditional ferry journey, people will pick up hire cars in Spain or France. Often the two week beach holiday will include one or two days exploring the region in a hire car."
The AA advises travellers to be respect local laws and be familiar with local customs before taking to the road. More information on driving abroad can be found at www.AAIreland.ie/infodesk/motoring_europe
The AA is trying to find out more about people's needs & habits with respect to driving abroad. If you have a moment, we would like to ask you a few questions. Don’t feel under any obligation to answer them but if you could spare a moment to do so we would be very grateful. Click here (takes 2 mins max!)