Holiday Road Trips by Car: Top Blunders and Pet Peeves from Dutch Drivers' Survey

With summer holidays underway, many Dutch travelers are hitting the road by car. AutoScout24's recent survey dives into gender roles behind the wheel, revealing common stereotypes, standout strengths, and the biggest frustrations and mistakes on the journey.

Dutch respondents largely agree that men (42%) excel at estimating driving distances, while only 13% say the same for women. Other holiday driving clichés hold true:

• 54% view men as the best drivers on foreign highways, compared to just 4% for women.
• Only 6% of women rate women as top foreign drivers.
• Men are confident in their skills (64%), with just 2% believing women drive better abroad.
• Packing duties are evenly split: 34% men, 33% women, 33% both.

Women shine elsewhere, though. They're rated higher for communicating in emergencies (26% vs. 20% for men) and keeping the mood light (44% say women are more pleasant in the car, vs. 4% for men).

Annoyances are universal: 84% of Dutch drivers get irritated en route. Top gripes include unavoidable traffic jams, roadworks, and detours (61%). Other major frustrations:

1. Foreign drivers' habits (25%)
2. Inadequate car comfort (14%)
3. Wrong car temperature (14%)
4. Distracted or backseat-driving partner (9%)
5. Partner's driving style (8%)
6. Too few or too many stops (8%)
7. Boring partner (8%)

Sixty percent admit to holiday travel blunders. The top eight:

1. Drove the wrong way (25%)
2. Underestimated warned-about traffic jams (12%)
3. Got carsick and vomited (10%)
4. Spilled food/drink, messing up the car (9%)
5. Misjudged distance to destination (8%)
6. Stopped by foreign police for an offense (6%)
7. Incured high phone bill from roaming data (5%)
8. Ran out of gas (4%)