In another episode of “Everything in The Lockhorns was true,” it seems men really won’t ask for directions — and devote a lot of their lives to driving around lost! (Cue laugh track.)
According to a study by British car insurance company Sheila’s Wheels (which we must say, sounds biased), the average guy drives an extra 276 miles every year — 20 more than women — with one in four waiting at least half an hour before asking for directions. (12% never ask and are, presumably, still driving.) As a result, they ostensibly spend a lot more on gas, too. When drivers do ask for help, they vastly prefer to consult a woman — which is wise, since dudes are more prone to pretending they know where things are, according to the study.
Says one car blogger to ABC, “Men are more confident and that sometime sense of blind confidence can get in the way of asking for assistance, like they will appear needy when they ask…Women are more quick to overrun their own confidence and let intuition carry the day. The fun of the hunt or gamesmanship of it appeals less to her.”
No word on how the existence of GPS has effected these stats — or who’s more prone to using it. But we’re guessing it’s not a coincidence that the maddeningly serene voice of authority who directs you is generally female.
Next week: men make comical faces when confronted with their wives’ bills.
Male Drivers Lost Longer Than Women [ABC]
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