Road to nowhere

Women drivers are more likely to get lost when behind the wheel than men are, a study has revealed.

Researchers found female drivers go astray more often than blokes, motor further in the wrong direction and find themselves stranded after ignoring their Sat Nav.

They're also more likely to stop and ask for directions, ring their dad for help or get stuck in narrow roads.

Men, on the other hand, tend to keep quiet if they know they've taken a wrong turn, but don't hesitate piping up if they're travelling with someone who has made a mistake.

It also emerged the typical couple will argue 12 times a year on the best way of getting from A to B.

The survey was commissioned by navigation app developer skobbler, which polled 2,000 drivers.

Yesterday, Marcus Thielking, co-founder of skobbler, said: ''Getting lost is a big factor in road rage and stressful arguments with fellow passengers.

''The common perception is women get lost more often than men, but while our research backs this up it shows men aren't far behind them.

''We found women are more likely to panic, retrace their steps and ring their dad for help.

''But when it comes to getting lost, they are far more comfortable asking for help while men bottle it up and struggle on trying to find their way.

''A wrong turning here or there can lead us onto a completely wrong road which leaves us motoring where we don't want to go - normally in the opposite direction.

''Your heart slumps when you realise you have missed a junction or have absolutely no clue where you are which adds extra miles to your journey and can become costly with fuel costs consistently on the rise.''

The study quizzed 2,000 men and women on their sense of direction when in the driver's seat.

It found eight in ten women have got lost at least once in the last month, compared to less than seven in ten men.

Women have also motored at least 32 miles in the wrong direction each year, with two thirds having had to grab a map to check where they were.

Three in ten don't hesitate in calling their partner or dad for help, more than half have stopped by the side of the road and asked to be pointed in the right direction and seven per cent have merely stopped and panicked.

When it comes to why they have ended up in the middle of nowhere, two thirds simply missed a sign, 44 per cent got confused at road markings and one in ten admitted they were too busy nattering away.

But they are quicker at retracing their steps and doing a U-turn to get back on the right road - taking just eight minutes to come to a decision.

And while blokes fared better in the poll, their driving abilities weren't completely up to scratch.

They motor on average 26 miles out of their way and four in ten have had to ask for help from passers-by. One in five admitted they have got lost but tried to keep it from their fellow passengers to save embarrassment.

Men also appeared 'too stubborn' to ask for a point in the right direction - with one in twenty claiming they could 'get themselves back on track' without any help.

And just one in fifty tend to panic when they find themselves stranded somewhere.

And when they miss a turning it's normally because they have switched off for paying attention.

The survey also found just one in five have a paper map in the car to refer to and the same number don't bother looking at directions before setting off on a long journey.

But a quarter of respondents have ended up in a traffic jam or at a dead end because of their poor sense of direction.