Research by AAMI has found that men are more inclined than women to fiddle with the GPS on the run.
It won?t come as a huge surprise to most of you that boys love toys.
And that they are are addicted to gadget buttons. At least, that news won’t be a shock to any household that contains these three items: a television, a remote control (RC), and a male.
Those carefully-controlled laboratory conditions are universally acknowledged by leading scientists to be the optimum litmus test for the presence of the additional Y chromosome that dictates male gender. Female is X only and …err, Y not.
Longstanding empirical research into the subject has resulted in the following scientific equation: TV + RC + Y = constant button-pushing.
Conversely – and far more intelligently — TV + RC + X = SATC marathons + C7H8N4O2 (where C7H8N4O2 is the chemical formula for Belgian chocolate).
But RC syndrome is the not the only example of male gadget addiction. There are others, and they’re proving to be far more dangerous.
A recent study of 2500 Australian drivers revealed that 17 per cent of male respondents admitted to losing focus while using their satellite navigation systems in the car. That compares to just 12 per cent of women.
The research by insurance firm AAMI found that men are more inclined than women to fiddle with the GPS on the run. Apparently, where women tend to set up the GPS destination before they head off, men are more likely to try and do it on the run.
This is probably because men will end up several postcodes off-track before they’ll even consider the ignominy of asking directions. Even of a gadget designed specifically for giving an opinion on directions, and for which the man has paid a considerable stack of change, presumably with that purpose in mind.
"Men have a tendency to pre-occupy themselves with gadgets and gizmos, particularly those that are loaded with technology. For some men, the temptation to fiddle and change settings on their GPS can be too great,” AAMI spokesman Mike Sopinski says.
The irony is that a device intended to make driving easier and safer – compared to the practice of steering the car from behind an unfolded expanse of paper map – has now become a safety hazard.
Added to this, the survey reported extra driver distractions from phones, music players, and probably electric shavers, food and drink as well.
“In many ways, technology is a bonus for drivers, but they also need to employ their own commonsense, as a complement to the equipment to ensure they're not putting themselves or other drivers at risk,” Sopinski says.
He also says some men think they know better than the technology, and questioned the GPS’ ability to get them to their destination, or even started an argument with it
Hard to believe that men would doubt directions given by somebody – or something – other than themselves, we know. And arguing? Unthinkable.
