The Irish male is much less likely to let a woman driver change a tyre than his UK counterpart, according to a new survey by Continental Tyres.  He is also less prone to using excuses to get out of changing a tyre.

The same survey showed that female drivers in Ireland are more willing to tackle a flat tyre themselves, rather than rely on men to help them out. 

The study of several hundred drivers in both Ireland and the UK revealed that nearly half of men in Britain would allow a female travelling companion change a flat tyre. This contrasts with 30% of men in Ireland.

One in three UK males confessed to using any excuse to get out of the task, compared with just 1 in 7 Irish men.

On both sides of the water, women no longer see changing a wheel as a man’s job, but this is especially the case in Ireland (62%).

The research unearthed a startling difference between UK and Irish drivers’ familiarity in dealing with punctures. 

94% of males here said they had actually changed a tyre at some stage, compared with just over 50% of males in Britain. 

Irish motorists are slow to call out roadside assistance organisations like the AA or RAC to fix a flat tyre – only 20% of members here said they had used breakdown services for this purpose, compared with 35% in Britain. 

Among Irish males, only one in seven members had done so, compared with 38% of females. For those who did, the service arrived within an hour in most cases. 

The most common excuse for avoiding changing a tyre is that it might ruin one’s outfit – and men are more likely to use it than women. 

Of those who admitted using excuses, 42% of Irish males and 31% of females said they didn’t want to dirty their clothes. 

One quarter of Irish motorists admitted to having missed or arrived late for an important appointment due to a flat tyre. In most cases this was a work meeting, with flights and weddings also mentioned.