Women expats fear foreign roads

Expat Drivers

A new survey has revealed an interesting quirk- many women expats appear to be afraid of driving on foreign roads.

The survey was conducted by the price comparison website carhiremarket.com. They interviewed 2,000 expat drivers and found that 62 percent of the women quizzed were not comfortable with driving abroad, compared to just 35 percent of the men.

More figures that will give women drivers no boost came, women were also found to struggle with a change in driving sides, 49 percent were confused when forced to drive on the other side of the road.

However both sexes were revealed to be generally concerned when driving in a foreign land, reasons for alarm included foreign signs and driving at night on roads that are not familiar. Out of all the drivers eight percent said they were literally too worried about driving abroad to even attempt it, and 13 percent said they would only drive if abroad for a matter of utmost importance.

People also seem to become more concerned the older they got, when venturing into over 55 territory more people were generally worried about being on the roads- 54 percent.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists were not surprised by these findings, their spokesman, Neil Grieg, said: “Our own research shows that women drive fewer miles than men and this lack of exposure can lead to a lack of confidence, especially in heavy traffic and on motorways. The only way to get better at something is to practice, and we would recommend an advanced driving course to give all drivers the confidence they need to undertake any driving task at home or abroad.”

When moving abroad it's important to research all aspect of your new life, including road conditions. Take a look at our City Guides which give detailed information on important topics, including driving conditions, for a number of popular expat destinations.