Car Myths Busted

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

When it comes to motor vehicles, there are many assumptions that drivers hold as true that are anything but.  That’s because with the Internet, falsehoods as well as fake news abound.  To try to help you separate fact from fiction when it comes to your automotive beliefs, I thought I’d take the time to tell you what’s what when it comes to car myths. 

1.      Do red cars really get ticketed more often than cars of other colors? – This statement has obtained nearly urban legend status over the years.  So, I thought I’d get it out of the way up front.  Ask any traffic cop and they’ll tell you that the statement is a load of hogwash.  From an enforcement perspective, there isn’t one good reason why an officer would prefer one color over another.  On the other hand, industry statistics indicate that red cars are more likely to be cited for violations as well as being involved in more accidents.  So how can both these statements be true?  It may all come down to how the color red effects drivers.  Studies have shown that red evokes strong emotions.  That’s why red roses are given most often to a love interest.  From a psychological standpoint, red is considered an intense, angry color that creates intense feelings of excitement.  With that being said, it costs you no more to insure a red car than a car of any other color.

Image courtesy flickr

2.      Do yellow glasses make it easier to drive after dark? – On the contrary, wearing tinted glasses of any shade actually makes it harder to see after dark.  While they may reduce glare, anything other than clear lenses reduces the amount of light striking the retina.  This can restrict peripheral vision as well as making it much more difficult to see objects and judge distances after dark.

3.      Is it better to drive in rain with the cruise control engaged? -  That depends on the type of cruise control which your car is equipped.  If your car has standard cruise control, the answer is no.  While cruise helps keep the car to maintain a steady speed, it also increases the amount of time it takes to slow down, since drivers using cruise control aren’t actively engaged in the driving process.  However, if your car is equipped with adaptive cruise control, the answer is yes, since adaptive cruise is designed to not only sense and adjust speed with that of the vehicle ahead, it is also much better at setting a reasonable lead distance between your car and the vehicle ahead.  As a rule, drivers tend to leave insufficient lead space which is only worsened when the road is wet.

4.      Is premium gas better for your car’s engine? – The only time that you should put premium gas in your vehicle is if the owner’s manual recommends it.  Putting higher octane fuel in a car that doesn’t require it not only wastes money since it offers no appreciable benefit to an engine that doesn’t require it.  If your car’s engine knocks, better to buy a premium fuel injector cleaner than to put a higher octane fuel in it.

5.      Should you drive with your hands at 10 and 2 o’clock? – Back when I learned to drive, we were taught to put our hands on the steering wheel at 10 and 2.  Of course, this was back in the days before power steering and air bags.  After air bags became standard on all automobiles, 10 and 2 became the worst place to put your hands on the wheel since a driver risks hitting themselves in the face should the air bag on the steering wheel deploy.  A far safer position for your hands nowadays is at the 9 and three position.  It also provides improved control of any vehicle.

Image courtesy PxHere

6.      Is it alright to talk on the phone while you drive if you talk hand’s free? – While it’s less dangerous to talk hand’s-free than to hold a phone while driving, that doesn’t make it safe.  Anything that distracts a driver from the act of driving reduces safety.  This also includes glancing at your GPS, changing channels on the radio, grabbing your drink from the cup holder, talking to passengers or scolding your kids in the backseat. 

7.      Are male drivers safer than females? – While it has long been held by male drivers that women are more dangerous on the road, the statistics state otherwise.  According to a report by CBS news, men are 3.4 times as likely to get a ticket for reckless driving and 3.1 times as likely to be cited for drunk driving.  Sorry guys.

8.      Do seat belts and airbags cause more harm than good? – While the auto giants tried to convince lawmakers and the public that this was the case for more than two decades, the facts are that both seat belts and airbags save lives.  Before seat belts and airbags were introduced, it wasn’t at all unusual for drivers and passengers to be ejected from the vehicle, pitched through windscreens and horribly maimed in accidents that are 100% survivable today.  The only thing that does more harm than good today is to allow anyone in your vehicle to ride along without buckling up. 

Image courtesy flickr

9.      Do you really need to retrain your pet in the car? – Of course, you do!  In the first place, letting an animal loose in your car is asking for trouble.  All your pet has to do is get underfoot and you court disaster.  Not to mention the fact that should you slam on the brakes, your pet will turn from a cute and cuddly four-legged friend to a projectile that could easily injure someone in your vehicle or wind up ejected onto the roadway.  Any pet store can provide you with a pet car restraint.

10.  Do you need to change your vehicle’s oil every 3,000 miles? – The majority of vehicles today only need to have their oil changed every 5,000-10,000 miles.  The only advocates of the 3,000-mile oil change are oil change shops.  This is not only wasteful it also adds a huge glut of used engine oil to the environment.  If letting your car go 10,000 miles without an oil change scares you, do what I do, change it every 7,500 miles or once a year, whichever comes first. 

Catherine Powell is the owner of A Plus All Florida, Insurance in Orange Park, Florida.  To find out more about saving money on all your insurance needs, check out her website at http://aplusallfloridainsuranceinc.com/