If you’re driving a Prius, great. You’re helping the environment and probably saving a good chunk of money, but make sure you ask for directions. If you don’t, you might end up giving it all back.
Siel Ju of the Mother Nature Network reports on a survey of the habits of male and female drivers and their use of directions. The study, conducted by the British insurer Sheilas’ Wheels, found that men are much more stubborn than women—who would’ve guessed that? And it costs us.
Men spend an extra $3,000 during their lifetime (and averages 276 unnecessary miles each year) because we don’t know where the hell we’re going. More than a quarter of men refuse to pull over for directions until they’ve been lost for at least thirty minutes. And then there’s one guy for every ten who will never, under any circumstances, ask for directions. These also tend to be the same men whose faces appear on the back of milk cartons.
We might be stubborn, but at least we’re honest. Well, we’re honest about our dishonesty. Two in five men admit to telling passengers that they know where they’re going, despite having no clue.
Nearly three-quarters of women say they have no problem pulling over and asking for directions once they’re lost. It also turns out that all drivers are more likely to ask a woman, rather than a man, for directions.
I don’t ask for directions. If it’s a nice neighborhood, I’ll drive around and try to find my way out. If it’s a shady neighborhood, I won’t ask for directions because I value my life. That might have to change, though, looking at the financial repercussions. Next time I see the fat, little guy in the wife beater, sitting on his front stoop, blasting reggaeton from his boom box and holding the leash to his Rottweiler, I’ll see if he knows the quickest route to the highway.
That’s exactly why I invested in a GPS . Its good to know that even though my GPS was pretty pricey it definitely wasn’t more than the $3,000 I apparently would be spending if I drove around aimlessly trying to find my location.