The majority of women are happy to sit back, do the map reading and discipline the kids while the men do the driving when holidaying abroad, according to new research published today.
The adoption of the traditional roles when motoring abroad are revealed in a survey of more than 10,000 motorists conducted by AA Ireland. It reaveals that 71.4 per cent of men drive “most or all of the time” while on a foreign holiday, while only 19.4 per cent of women do so.
A total of 9 per cent of those surveyed said they shared the driving equally.
It also found that 54.3 per cent of motorists are likely to drive abroad either while on their main holiday or on a short break this year. Some 18 per cent will drive in Britain, 28.7 per cent will drive somewhere in Europe and 7.6 per cent will drive in North America.
“It is very worthwhile to share the driving if you can, especially when you are covering long distances,” said AA Ireland’s 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.
“There is no reason why males should be any better at foreign driving than females,” he added. “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.”
