Don’t drive your date away this Valentine’s Day

If you are planning to take a loved one out this Valentine’s Day, it may be wise to take a taxi or use public transport rather than the car, as research finds many couples argue over each other’s driving.

In the survey by breakdown specialist, Green Flag, a staggering one-in-five said they regularly argued with their partners about their driving skills and bad habits.

Asked if they would lend a partner their car, women are more trustworthy than men, with three quarters saying they would allow their partner to use their car compared to only two thirds of men. However, it is not surprising that some are cautious to allow their partners to borrow their car, with one-in-five admitting to have had an accident in their partners’ car.

Half of the women surveyed said they would trust their partner to carry out minor maintenance checks or repairs, yet eight-in-ten men said they would never ask their partner for help.

When asked if they have ever stopped to help someone who had broken down, half of men said they had helped compared to only one-in-five women. The older generation were more willing to help, over a third of drivers aged over 55 had stopped to help someone, whereas only one-in-ten of the 17-24 year-olds surveyed have ever offered to assist.

Among the 17-24 year-olds surveyed, almost one-in-ten had broken up with a partner over their car! The figure for all ages is slightly lower with just three per cent admitting a car was the reason for a break up.

Philippa Naylor, spokesperson for Green Flag, said: “It’s surprising how many people regularly argue over each other’s driving habits so it may be a good idea not to drive this Valentine’s Day to avoid an argument!”