Britons knack for getting lost takes toll on working week

Britain finds its way

The average Briton[1] during their lifetime gets lost for up to 39 hours - the equivalent of a working week

Gender stereotypes hold true: one in four women admits getting lost due to holding a map incorrectly, compared to 17 per cent of men

Nearly two thirds of Britons avoid even trying to find new shops, pubs or restaurants ñ even when close to home

Four per cent of men and five per cent of women have found themselves mistakenly travelling more than 50 miles out of their way

Yell.com aims to save Britain valuable hours with the launch of a new online map solution

New research today reveals that surprisingly, the nation is literally losing its way, with the average Briton getting lost for up to the length of a working week during their lifetime. Adults spend up to 43 minutes a year ñ or 39 hours in total ñ struggling to find their way, according to the NOP research commissioned by Yell.com, to mark the launch of a new map facility.

For the nation as a whole, it means on average 740,000 days every year are squandered, thanks to Britonsí collective propensity to getting lost, the research shows.

The North East tops the list as apparently the most difficult region to navigate: adults there are lost for an average of 50 minutes a year, or almost two full days in their lifetime. Of those who get lost, people in the North East and South East travel an average of 12 miles out of their way, further than anywhere else in Britain.

The news for women is worst, apparently confirming the old stereotype that men are better map readers. A quarter of women admit that holding maps incorrectly has been to blame for losing their way, compared to just 17 per cent of men.

The research, carried out to mark the launch by Yell.com of a new online map facility, also exposes how differently the sexes react when lost. Men are more likely to react with anger ñ 17 per cent of men, as opposed to ten per cent of women. Eleven per cent of women panic and call for help, more than ten times the number for men.

Yet for all these differences, men and women do share similar stories on how far astray they sometimes find themselves. The average inadvertent detour is nine miles, with four per cent of men and five per cent of women admitting to having gone more than 50 miles out of their way on at least one occasion.

Perhaps as a result of bad experiences with new directions, nearly two thirds of Britons are more likely to stick to the shops, pubs and restaurants they know than exploring new places or shopping around for better deals. Surprisingly, the figure rises to almost three quarters in London, where consumers have arguably the greatest choice of new shops and services of anywhere in the UK.

The new ëMulti Point Mapí complements Yell.com search results by simultaneously plotting up to ten businesses on a map, enabling web users to make more informed decisions about locations and save time when trying to find somewhere new. The new function aims to encourage Britons to be more adventurous when selecting shops and services offline.

Eddie Cheng, e-Business director at Yell, said: ìItís clear from the research that we sometimes need help in finding our way around. Time is at a premium in todayís society, so itís easy to understand why weíre reluctant to risk exploring new places. The launch of Multi Point Maps on Yell.com is designed to take the guesswork out of locating new shops and services, freeing up valuable time.î