Are hybrids really carbon neutral?
Are you looking for a great deal on your first car? Or are you currently searching for a replacement car? No matter how long you’ve been driving for though, you’ll certainly have heard a car myth or two. adflyer have found loads of car myths doing the rounds, and they range from the sublime to the ridiculous. So, which, if any, are actually true? Here at adflyer, we’ve researched into some of the more well-known myths about cars to find out once and for all if there’s any truth in them.
Driving over 100mph will get you an instant driving ban. This sounds like something made up by driving instructors to keep wannabe boy racers in check, but surprisingly enough, it’s true. If you’re caught speeding at over 100mph (or 30mph over the relevant speed limit) the punishment usually starts at disqualification from driving, although this decision is at the court’s discretion. So, the lesson here is if you’re going to speed, be nice to the policeman who pulls you over!
CDs block speed detectors. If when you first read this, you thought it meant that the music from a CD would block speed detectors, you’d be wrong. As bizarre as it may seem, this myth actually suggests that attaching a CD to your windscreen or even mounting it behind your grill will reflect the radar’s wave away from the car, thus making it impossible for the speed camera to record and detect your speed. Who on Earth thought that up?! In fact, vertically mounting a CD onto your car presents an even better target for radar and laser beams, so just don’t do it!
You should always rev the engine just before you switch it off. ‘Why would I do that?’ I hear you ask. Well, according to some complete idiot, revving your engine just before you switch it off leaves a spark, ready for the next time you switch the engine on. It didn’t require much research to figure out that this myth is complete rubbish! If they’re not ignited straightaway, electrical sparks go out as quickly as they began, so there’s no possible way to store them.
Hybrid cars have zero carbon emissions. Not true! A hybrid car has an electric and a petrol motor, which means that it still produces CO₂, but its carbon emissions are lower than that of a normal car.
‘Empty’ on a car’s fuel gauge doesn’t actually mean empty. It is indeed a little-known quirk built into most cars that when the arrow on the fuel gauge first points to empty, the tank will usually have about two gallons still left in it. This clever little trick is designed to avoid cars running out of fuel before you can get to the nearest petrol station. So even though it’s not exactly telling the truth, don’t ignore the fuel gauge when it goes down to empty, unless you like the idea of sputtering to a halt in the middle of a busy road!
Well, now you know the truth! We hope that this has helped to answer a few of your motoring-related questions, or at least ease the tedium of your day. So, if you’re done with the procrastination, why not take a look at adflyer’s great motoring section? We’ve got a great range of cars for you to try out your new-found motoring knowledge on, as well as car parts and accessories, registration plates and even motorcycles and scooters if you fancy a change of pace. Or, to carry on whiling the hours away, take a look at our brilliant adflyer blog, pets blog and property blog for even more news, advice and fun trivia.
Motoring Classifieds
