Mum vs Dad: who’s the best driver?

Children think their dads are better drivers than their mums, but they believe they go too fast and suffers the most road rage.

In new research for MG, 1,000 young people aged 6-16 years – whose parents both drive – were questioned and it was found 43 per cent named dad as the ‘best’ behind the wheel, while only 29 per cent opted for mum.

Reasons for choosing him as the best driver include the fact he drives for his job, has a van and is the designated holiday driver for the family.

But almost two thirds claim their dad drives the fastest while 42 per cent think he experiences the most road rage.

Despite this, 35 per cent of youngsters prefer being in the car with their mum, naming her as the parent most likely to join in with car games, such as I Spy, while on a journey.

The study also found dads win at all driving techniques, including being best at both reverse and parallel parking, hill starts and three-point turns.

Children also think their dad is more successful than mum at switching lanes on a motorway and parking in tight spaces.

And two thirds said their old man is better at changing a tyre compared to just eight per cent who favoured their mother.

It also emerged men are more likely to take the driving seat for family car journeys, according to 65 per cent of the youngsters polled.

But this may be because half of the respondents said their mum is more susceptible to getting lost and having to ask for directions.

Unfortunately for women, 46 per cent of children also said their mum is most likely to bump the vehicle on a kerb or another car, compared to just a sixth who believe their dad would do this.

Mums play the best music though, according to 40 per cent of children, while only 31 per cent prefer dad’s tunes.

Although, 63 per cent of youngsters admitted to preferring to listen to their own playlists in the car to avoid hearing their parents’ choice.

Dads were found to be most strict when driving, with the top in-car rules including no arguing (36 per cent), no wrappers or rubbish to be left in the vehicle (48 per cent) and no shoes on the seats (41 per cent).

On the other hand, mums were typically found to be more talkative while in the driving seat.