It’s so easy to find information and remedies to our motoring problems online, but how accurate are some of the myths that are around? Some myths can be proven and helpful, but others are just simply outrageous. Beware…Don’t believe everything you read on the internet!
Myth 1
We will start with the age old battle of the sexes… Who is more reckless behind the wheel, women or men? According to studies, women tend to have fewer accidents than men. Is this due to less road rage? It’s difficult to say, the fact is that women drivers make fewer car insurance claims than men.
Myth 2
Using more expensive fuel can increase the performance of your car and ultimately make it faster. The truth, unless you driving a supercar, using more expensive petrol will do absolutely nothing to the performance of your vehicle.
Majority of motorists don’t know what the difference between normal petrol and the expensive high octane fuels is. The number of the fuel is the octane rating, which is an indication of how much compression the fuel can take before an explosion occurs. A standard vehicle has a set compression ratio therefore the more expensive fuel burns exactly the same as regular fuel.
Myth 3
Warming up your engine before you drive is crucial to your car’s health… Mmm this is an interesting one. To a certain extent this is true as some of your engine components work better when they are properly warmed up. People believe that if you don’t warm your car up before you drive off you will ruin your car.
This is not true… instead of sitting there while your car warms up you could be off driving to your destination, this way you are still warming up your engine, and you are also half way to your destination. A good reason to warm your car up before you drive would be to actually get the inside nice and toasty for those winter mornings…. Unless you have a built in fireplace that is.
Myth 4
Are larger cars, SUV’s and 4×4’s safer than normal vehicles? Most people reckon that larger cars provide more safety and that buying a large SUV will keep children and loved ones from harm. Unfortunately this is not the case… The bigger and taller your vehicle, the higher the centre of gravity and a higher chance that the vehicle will roll.
There are actually a number of factors which one could argue that larger vehicles are more dangerous: Heavier vehicles are more difficult to stop, affecting the brakes, a heavier vehicle is more likely to roll from a spin than a normal vehicle and will also roll much more than a lighter, smaller vehicle. So if you drive a smaller vehicle, then don’t stress about your safety, it’s the bigger ones that are more likely to be in danger.
Myth 5
Who is better at navigating and map reading… Women or men? Due to a study that was conducted, men are better map readers than women. When it came to spatial awareness and matching angles, men came out tops, but when it came to remembering locations or landmarks, women did better.
The internet is filled with lots of fun and interesting facts… but if something smells fishy, then it usually is.
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