TOUCH a man's car and he's likely to be offended.

[Aldric]

TOUCH a man's car and he's likely to be offended.

 

Now we know why.

 

A British study has concluded what a lot of women have suspected all along: Male drivers consider their cars to be an extension of themselves.

 

The finding explains why men are more likely to feel annoyed or threatened by someone damaging their vehicle, said the study's co-author Mr Peter Marsh.

 

Men are also more inclined to cruise along with one hand on the wheel - they are more relaxed inside the interior of their vehicles, reported The Telegraph.

 

In contrast, female drivers tend to keep both hands firmly on the wheel. This is because women treat cars as a separate entity.

 

The study, The Secret Life Of Cars And What They Reveal About Us, offers a new insight into the relationship between vehicles and their owners.

 

It concludes that many men who have difficulty in talking about personal relationships have no such problems when it comes to waxing lyrical about their four-wheeled pride and joy.

 

'Men talk about their cars as if talking about themselves,' said one of its authors, Mr Iain MacRury, of the University of East London.

 

'Women are more comfortable expressing their feelings directly and see the car as separate. That's why women give cars names.'

 

Men are also likely to indulge in the type of shows of affection towards cars that one usually associates with loved ones or pets, such as patting the roof or dashboard.

 

In other findings, the study concluded that drivers are also four times more likely to sing on their way to work than on the way home.

 

This is because they perceive their car as a safe and personal place, not unlike the bath.

 

According to Mr Marsh, people who would shy away from bursting into song in public treat the interior of their cars as the final period of 'me-time' before they enter the office.