So who has the better sense of direction – men or women?
It doesn't matter. All that really counts is that men think they know where they are going. And given that a new survey also shows they are typically the ones actually behind the wheel, they'll damn well drive where they want. No, I'm sure we haven't passed this crossroads before.
When it comes to navigating, being “right” is all well and good, but being “certain” is better. And saves petrol.
When asked to rate their family’s directional skills on the road, more than 70 per cent of men believe their own ability to drive and navigate is superior to that of their partners.
A further 18 per cent of male poll participants class their sense of direction as being on a par with their female partner, while just 9 per cent – presumably the percentage of the country not currently lost – admitted to relying on their spouse to get around.
Just 42 per cent of women in Ireland believe they have the best sense of direction.
The survey, commissioned by the AA’s European Breakdown service and with nearly 2,000 participants, revealed almost a third of women hold their partner’s “instinctive” lay of the land above their own.
In fact, according to the survey, women are almost four times more likely to view their own navigational skills as inferior to that of their partner.
"We often ask AA Members what they think about all sorts of things, some serious and some less so. It can be interesting to see when there are big differences of opinion between men and women on a subject," says Conor Faughnan, director of consumer affairs.
“It is very clear from the data that men on the whole believe their sense of direction is very good. Whether that is actually true or not is a different question,” said Faughnan.
The AA survey also looked at those typically most willing to drive when on a family road trip both in Ireland and abroad. Overall, men are more likely to get behind the wheel at home and overseas, with those aged between 46 and 55 years old more inclined to so in both cases.
Forty-two per cent of women say they typically drive. The poll also found that Irish families are more likely to share the wheel at home than abroad.