History Main / DirectionlessDriver

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Despite what his national anthem says, [[Webcomic/{{Polandball}} Poland]] [[http://i.imgur.com/7cNciDy.png is most definitely lost]].

'''Peter:''' We are ''not'' lost. And even if we were I can't ask a human being for directions.\\

* Gender-flipped in ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' -- Maryann always drives, and she never asks for directions even when her sense of direction isn't exactly best. The gender-flipped nature of the gag is lampshaded by Nigel.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', there was one episode where Homer became an ambulance driver. At some point he was going around in circles and Lisa asked why he'd not admit he didn't know where the hospital was. Homer's reply was asking why she'd not admit he knew it was somewhere around there.
* Justified in ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' when 13 year-old Bobby is stuck driving his step-grandmother to the hospital when she goes into labor.

* One of the drivers during the Creator/MontyPython First Farewell Tour, a fellow identified only as Sid, was mentioned by several of the Python crew as having been utterly unable to find anything anywhere. On one occasion, according to Michael Palin, he managed to mess up a two-minute journey so badly it took half an hour.
* The trope is a common joke for male drivers as it is implied that men are too prideful to ask for directions; asking for help would be taken as a sign of weakness.

-->'''Lois:''' "Peter, we're lost. Would you please ask for directions?"\\
'''Peter:''' "We are ''not'' lost. And even if we were I can't ask a human being for directions."\\
'''Lois:''' "Why not?"\\
'''Peter:''' "Because I'm a man. Haven't you ever seen a stand-up comedian, Lois?"

'''Chihiro's father:''' Trust me, it's gonna work.

'''Van:''' ''(deranged) No!'' There's an on-ramp close! I ''know'' it! I can ''feel'' it! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]
* Ryoga Hibiki of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' normally has NoSenseOfDirection and knows it, but in [[WebAnimation/RanmaAbridged the abridged chronicles]], he's upgraded to become a stubborn Directionless Driver.

* In ''Anime/SpiritedAway'', this trope helped to kick-start the movie. Within minutes of starting, the film has:
-->'''Chihiro's father:''' I must have missed the turn off. This road should get us there.
-->'''Chihiro's mother:''' Honey, don't take a short cut; you always get us lost.
-->'''Chihiro's father:''' Trust me, it's gonna work.
** Followed seconds later by:
-->'''Chihiro:''' Dad, I think we're lost.
-->'''Chihiro's father:''' We're fine; I've got four wheel drive!

[[folder: Fan Works ]]
* In the ParodyFic ''Farce Contact'', Captain Kirk argues against [[Recap/StarTrekS3E24TurnaboutIntruder women becoming starship captains]]. "How can she [[SubvertedCatchphrase seek out new strife in new civilizations]] if she keeps stopping to ask for directions?"

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' has Minny and Van, the lost tourists passing through Radiator Springs. Van, the husband, sternly refuses to ask for directions; TheStinger after the credits shows them ''still'' lost in the desert, exhausted and delirious.
* Somewhat justified in ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo''; Marlin refuses to let Dory ask a whale for directions to Sydney out of fear that it will eat them.
-->'''Dory:''' What is it with men and asking for directions?\\
'''Marlin:''' I don't want to play the gender card right now. You wanna play a card? Let's play the "not die" card.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Fozzie in ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', whose route from Florida to California goes through Rhode Island and Saskatchewan.
* Played for laughs in the movie adaptation of ''Film/{{Postal}}'', with Mohammed as the directionless driver and Osama bin Laden as the exasperated passenger.

[[folder: Literature]]
* Alluded to in ''Literature/TheKaneChronicles''. One of the chapter titles is ''Men Ask For Directions (And Other Signs of the Apocalypse)''.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* Played so straight it's almost a parody in one episode of ''Series/HomeImprovement'', when Tim and Jill have to drive to their friend's wedding in Michigan. Even though Jill ''already has'' directions, Tim refuses to use them, and they end up in Ohio instead.
* Referenced in "The ScienceFair" episode of ''Series/TheRedGreenShow'':
-->'''Red Green:''' "We're out there in our own vehicles, burning gas, got the sunglasses on, looking good. People seeing us going by would have no idea where we are. And we're not really excited about sharing that information. A man does not embrace the concept of going up to total strangers and saying, 'You may not know this, but I'm a moron,' whereas the woman he's with is only too happy to share that information."
* Conversed in ''Series/RulesOfEngagement''. Audrey makes a joke about men not asking for directions, and the couple she's talking to has never heard of this trope and the husband asks for directions.
* ''Series/TopGear'': According to his co-presenters, without a sat-nav ([[NoSenseOfDirection and sometimes even with]]), this is a very accurate description of James May. On several occasions he's managed to get lost ''on a racetrack''.
* Kevin's dad sometimes displayed this trait in ''Series/TheWonderYears''. His justification was that he had navigated a half-track halfway across Korea, so he certainly didn't need to ask for directions in his home state.
* Discussed in the ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' episode "Sabrina The Teenage Boy". According to Hilda, the last time Zelda turned herself in to a man, she got lost for 50 years because as a man she refused to ask for directions.
* One ''Series/MythBusters'' test looked at whether men are really more reluctant to stop and ask for directions. Not only were men just as likely as women to pull over and ask directions (only two people in the ''entire'' sample refused to stop--one man, and one woman), the men actually pulled over (on average) one minute ''sooner'' than the women.
* There's a lot of them going around in ''Series/CanadasWorstDriver''. They're not always men, though.

[[folder: Music ]]
* "The Lost Vikings" by [[{{WesternAnimation/Metalocalypse}} Dethklok]] is about a group of... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin lost Vikings]] who are doomed to sail around the world forever in search of the battle they were supposed to take part in because they accidentally left their map at home and their pride prevents them from asking for directions. At one point in the song someone offers to give them a map and some directions, but they refuse, claiming to be travelling mercenaries.
* Music/DaYoopers have a skit called "Beer Run" where the band members head for a bar and unknowingly drive past the same landmarks several times without realizing it. Finally, when they ask the driver (then-guitarist Joe Potila) which way to turn for the third time, they realize that he has been holding the map upside-down. They turn the other way this time and end up in a completely different town than they intended.

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]
* ComicStrip/TheFarSide - an elderly couple is driving on the surface of the moon - the wife exclaims "Oh, for heaven's sake - NOW look where the Earth is! Move over and let ''me'' drive!" Another strip has two aliens asking for directions at an Earth gas station. The attendant says they're in the wrong star system.

[[folder: Stand-Up Comedy ]]
* In Vicki Lawrence's "Two-Woman Show" (based on ''Series/MamasFamily''), Vicki appears as Mama, giving her opinions on modern-day topics. On the subject of gay marriage, she says that she opposes it, because "then you'd have ''two'' idiots in the car who'll drive around for three hours before they stop for directions!"
* Creator/JimmyCarr: "It's true, ladies. Men are no good at asking for directions. On the other hand, maybe we wouldn't have to if ''you'' could read a bloody map!"
* Bobby Slayton argued that this trope doesn't actually exist in real life, as men will actually plan their route weeks in advance if they have something they're looking forward to (such as a baseball game). He argues the trope only applies if the man is going somewhere they ''don't'' want to go, such as the woman's relatives for Christmas ("Whoops, missed the turn-off...").

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

-->'''Elliott:''' I wonder what she's going to do once she gets back to Moperville.
-->'''Tedd:''' If she can even find her way back there. I mean, you didn't know the way here and you slept in the car, so she shouldn't know how to get back home.
-->'''Elliot:''' True, but you have to keep in mind that she is a woman and may consider tactics that we as men wouldn't even think of.
-->'''Tedd:''' Like what?
-->''(Cut to Ellen asking a gas pump attendant for directions)''

[[folder: Web Original]]
* Link in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0NvXWzdHxo&index=3&list=PLSQLREUw9vwlh8bzgvZCt_WS8615trN5H this parody]] who seems incapable of finding the central landmark of Hyrule.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Gender-flipped in ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' - Maryann always drives, and she never asks for directions even when her sense of direction isn't exactly best. The gender-flipped nature of the gag is lampshaded by Nigel.
--> ''' Nigel:''' "I wonder if any other husbands have this problem..."
* In the first "Spaced Out" episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', the King and the Queen of Yugopotamia were going to Earth to rescue their son. She said they'd not have to blow up so many planets if he asked for directions. He replied he was still the King around there and she said he was King of getting lost.
** Timmy's Dad always gets lost whenever they are on a long trip, when going to a (terrible)hotel in the desert, he ends up crashing into Santa's workshop.

[[folder: Real Life ]]
* Old joke:
-->'''Q:''' "Why does it take millions of sperm to fertilize one egg?"
-->'''A:''' "Because they won't ask for directions."
** Another joke offers this trope as the explanation for the trip from Egypt to Canaan following the Exodus taking 40 years.
** There's also a joke about how it's good for space agencies to hire female astronauts because, unlike male astronauts, female astronauts won't be embarrassed to ask for directions if they get lost in space.

* Gender-filled in ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' - Maryann always drives, and she never asks for directions even when her sense of direction isn't exactly best. The gender-flipped nature of the gag is lampshaded by Nigel.

* We can safely assume Tesla's Starman won't be asking for directions any time soon.

* In Vicki Lawrence's "Two-Woman Show" (based on ''MamasFamily''), Vicki appears as Mama, giving her opinions on modern-day topics. On the subject of gay marriage, she says that she opposes it, because "then you'd have ''two'' idiots in the car who'll drive around for three hours before they stop for directions!"

* Kevin's dad sometimes displayed this trait in ''TheWonderYears''. His justification was that he had navigated a half-track halfway across Korea, so he certainly didn't need to ask for directions in his home state.

->'''Minny:''' Oh, for the love of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Chrysler!]] Can we ''please'' ask someone for directions?\\
'''Van:''' ''(deranged) No!'' There's an on-ramp close! I ''know'' it! I can ''feel'' it! [[LaughingMad Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Dang it, I'm ''not'' lost!]]

* Ryoga Hibiki of ''[[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'' normally has NoSenseOfDirection and knows it, but in [[WebAnimation/RanmaAbridged the abridged chronicles]], he's upgraded to become a stubborn Directionless Driver.

* ComicStrip/TheFarSide - an elderly couple is driving on the surface of the moon - the wife exclaims "Oh, for heaven's sake - NOW look where the Earth is! Move over and let ''me'' drive!"
** Another strip has two aliens asking for directions at an Earth gas station. The attendant says they're in the wrong star system.

[[caption-width-right:350:Dammit, I'm ''not'' lost!]]

* Referenced in "The ScienceFair" episode of ''TheRedGreenShow'':

* "The Lost Vikings" by [[{{Metalocalypse}} Dethklok]] is about a group of... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin lost Vikings]] who are doomed to sail around the world forever in search of the battle they were supposed to take part in because they accidentally left their map at home and their pride prevents them from asking for directions. At one point in the song someone offers to give them a map and some directions, but they refuse, claiming to be travelling mercenaries.

* Ryoga Hibiki of ''[[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'' normally has NoSenseOfDirection and knows it, but in [[RanmaAbridged the abridged chronicles]], he's upgraded to become a stubborn Directionless Driver.

[[folder: Film ]]

* Fozzie in ''TheMuppetMovie'', whose route from Florida to California goes through Rhode Island and Saskatchewan.
* Played for laughs in the movie adaptation of ''{{Postal}}'', with Mohammed as the DirectionlessDriver and Osama bin Laden as the exasperated passenger.

* Despite what his national anthem says, [[Webcomic/{{Polandball}} Poland]] [[http://i.imgur.com/7cNciDy.png is definitely lost]].

* Despite what his national anthem says, the eponymous Webcomic/{{Polandball}} [[http://i.imgur.com/7cNciDy.png is definitely lost]].

In reality, it [[JustifiedTrope could stem]] from the fact that men used to do the vast majority of driving (and in some places, still do). A woman might be just as reluctant to stop and ask a stranger for help -- especially at night -- but if she's [[FridgeLogic not driving in the first place]]... For why she wouldn't be allowed to drive, see her own [[WomenDrivers bad driving stereotype]]. MythBusters test of 14 drivers, 7 male and 7 female showed that male drivers that took part in the test do tend to ask for directions ''sooner'' than female drivers (a minute sooner on average, with the average male taking just over 4 minutes, and the average female taking just over 5), and both men and women were equally likely to stop (one man ''and'' one woman would not pull over and ask for directions).

In reality, it [[JustifiedTrope could stem]] from the fact that men used to do the vast majority of driving (and in some places, still do). A woman might be just as reluctant to stop and ask a stranger for help -- especially at night -- but if she's [[FridgeLogic not driving in the first place]]... For why she wouldn't be allowed to drive, see her own [[WomenDrivers bad driving stereotype]]. MythBusters test of 20 drivers, 10 male and 10 female showed that male drivers that took part in the test do tend to ask for directions later than female drivers.

In reality, it [[JustifiedTrope could stem]] from the fact that men used to do the vast majority of driving (and in some places, still do). A woman might be just as reluctant to stop and ask a stranger for help -- especially at night -- but if she's [[FridgeLogic not driving in the first place]]... For why she wouldn't be allowed to drive, see her own [[WomenDrivers bad driving stereotype]].