RE: Trust your partner to drive?
Friday 6th January 2006
It seems PHers enjoy their driving so much that they just won't hand the keys over to their partners.
Trust your partner to drive?
It seems not many of you do
With 93 per cent of our readership made up of men fanatical about cars perhaps it should come as little surprise that so few of us want to share the driving.
A recent survey amongst our readership showed that when out with our partners we simply don't want to hand over the keys. 71 per cent will always take the wheel themselves with 23 per cent prepared to share it (unwillingly we suspect). Only six per cent hand their keys to their partner and that's probably just on the way home from the pub...
Many of us don't seem to trust our partners' driving though which might also be a factor. 30 per cent of us aren't confident in our partners' abilities to drive safely! Over 40 per cent of those surveyed had taken the trouble to obtain advanced training themselves however.
Sales of satellite navigation systems shot through the roof at Christmas and that may be because of more distrust in navigation abilities. Nearly a quarter of those who answered our survey reckoned their partner could only be trusted to navigate very simple or local routes!
Despite this, arguing in the car isn't as prevalent as you might expect. Just ten per cent of respondants reckon they argue in the car. Ninety per cent probably just sulk or hold on with clenched teeth...
Discussion
How true!! There's no way I'd hand the keys of my pride and joy to the missus. I find her driving very scary, to say the least. Quite often find myself looking out of the side window when she's driving just to stop myself from turing into a jibbering wreck! I actually plan ahead so that if there's any likelihood that I'll have a few beers I drive her car, so that should she need to take the wheel, the only thing that'll get bent is her motor!
Quite the opposite, mrs t probably has a better natural aptitude for driving than I do and I'm always happy for her to have the keys. Only one exception is if conditions are very poor, as mrs t has much less experience of rear wheel drive than I do I prefer to be in charge if it's wet as I've done a lot more skid training than her.
HAving said all that I'm a terrible passenger in anyones car!
HAving said all that I'm a terrible passenger in anyones car!
NO, no one gets a drive in my car, I like the driving to much myself(in fast drivers cars) but I don't mind they where driving in a ordenairy car
and me sitting next to it.
In very high exeption they can drive a short "save" route to feel why I wanted to drive myself and also the cars I drive are not cheap, and I almost can't forgive myself when I let someone else drive's my car and something goes wrong...
GTRene
and me sitting next to it. In very high exeption they can drive a short "save" route to feel why I wanted to drive myself and also the cars I drive are not cheap, and I almost can't forgive myself when I let someone else drive's my car and something goes wrong...
GTRene
Did my first track day at Brands last week - shared the day with Mrs illegal eagle - we both had a great time, both as drivers and in the passenger seat - that said, I have to admit that I normally automatically jump into the diver's seat on the road, except on the way home from the pub, of course
I still trust my wife to drive my Cobra rep - even though she had a smash in it over 2 yrs ago...
Wasn't her fault - a "Sidmouth Geriatric" heading in the opposite direction on a narrow country road in Sussex, decided not to wait, and turned directly into her path.
His Skoda needed to be craned from the scene - my wife drove "Edgar" another 3 miles to a friend's house. Mind you it's taken most of this period to get her to sit in the car as a passenger, but now she's confident enough to drive him again...
SWMBO has had nil accidents that were her fault... I've had about 5 in the past 30 yrs.
So I reckon she's probably the better driver.
However as a NAVIGATOR - unless she's been driven a route more than 6 times, there's no way she can drive it alone without getting lost... (In Los Angeles, a couple of years ago, she took 8 hrs to do what should have been a 35 min drive !!)
Mind you - she's got her own MGB LE roadster, which I most definitely <u>do not</u> have the right to drive, if we are travelling in it together... <b>"That's different! it's MY car !!"</b>
:confused
Wasn't her fault - a "Sidmouth Geriatric" heading in the opposite direction on a narrow country road in Sussex, decided not to wait, and turned directly into her path.
His Skoda needed to be craned from the scene - my wife drove "Edgar" another 3 miles to a friend's house. Mind you it's taken most of this period to get her to sit in the car as a passenger, but now she's confident enough to drive him again...
SWMBO has had nil accidents that were her fault... I've had about 5 in the past 30 yrs.
So I reckon she's probably the better driver.
However as a NAVIGATOR - unless she's been driven a route more than 6 times, there's no way she can drive it alone without getting lost... (In Los Angeles, a couple of years ago, she took 8 hrs to do what should have been a 35 min drive !!)
Mind you - she's got her own MGB LE roadster, which I most definitely <u>do not</u> have the right to drive, if we are travelling in it together... <b>"That's different! it's MY car !!"</b>
:confused
when i took my car off the road last year (cries, nearly 10 months now) the amount of damage the missus had caused the car in over 7 years of ownership, took me 2 months of long nights afer work to repair! Now its all pretty again she aint driving it unless its covered in bubble wrap.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Mine`s not a case of not letting her drive - she refuses to! She (rightly) claims that as soon as she has got into the driver`s seat of any of the cars I`ve owned, she inadvertently activates the cloaking device - usually with panel damage consequences. I think it`s a blue car thing. Must be invisible when being piloted by a girl. I`ve put more scratches on her red car than she has! Although she`s hugely supportive of my money-pit, she doesn`t even like to ride in it. I`ve had comments like "I don`t like it when you make it do that".......Fair enough, won`t ask again!!
I've promised my wife I will put her on my insurance this summer.
We will do some fairly long distance trips (including up to the lake district probably) so at least I won't have to drive for 5 hours straight.
I'm not looking forward to her driving my P&J though. She's bad enough in a Ford Ka.
We will do some fairly long distance trips (including up to the lake district probably) so at least I won't have to drive for 5 hours straight.
I'm not looking forward to her driving my P&J though. She's bad enough in a Ford Ka.
Absolutely and categorically no way would I let the missus drive my car unless my arm was severely twisted. Take this as an example. I'd had the car, ooh, about 3 months and the missus got in, started it, reversed 5 yards straight into a 
ing big tree. Didn't even attempt to stop, turn, avoid or, it would seem even bother looking out the back ing window...! Did the bumper, tailgate, tailgate glass, tailgate inner moulding.
Elected to keep and repair car but trade in missus for newer model with parktronic sensors
ing big tree. Didn't even attempt to stop, turn, avoid or, it would seem even bother looking out the back ing window...! Did the bumper, tailgate, tailgate glass, tailgate inner moulding. Elected to keep and repair car but trade in missus for newer model with parktronic sensors
I wouldn't hesitate to let my missus drive my car(s). She used to love hooning around in the Esprit V8 (and was miffed when we sold it a few years ago).
Many years ago - before it was illegal/dangerous/un pc - she managed 130 mph in our old Lotus Carlton.
She's done a few track days (including instruction by Allistair McQueen) and had a fun day out with the LandRover boys at Eastnor Castle.
She's brill!
Many years ago - before it was illegal/dangerous/un pc - she managed 130 mph in our old Lotus Carlton.
She's done a few track days (including instruction by Allistair McQueen) and had a fun day out with the LandRover boys at Eastnor Castle.
She's brill!
Desmo said:
Of course you should let your wife drive your car or motorcycle, whatever the car or bike, providing she has a licence.
I'm sure she'd let you use her washing machine if you ask nicely.
Nail, head, hit.
MrsDS has always been allowed to drive my cars - I've insured her on the Tiv and keep trying to persuade her to have a go, but she's just not interested (or it may be that she's a little bit intimidated by it??)
Conversely, she's always trying to get me to use her washing machine, but it just doesn't appeal to me...
There was a reference to this PH survey in the Sunday Times driving section 
Yeah, I know. It was kind of tongue in cheek. I was upset at the time as the car was almost new and it was such a dumb mistake...! Could have been worse - might have had a huge accident. Still, I won't even let my dad drive the RS500 and he's a pretty good hand by all accounts...!
Desmo said:
Roop, it's only a small accident! most people have at least one at some time or another.
Balmoral Green, did you really marry a numpty! or is she just not interested in motors?
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