Urban
legends are a common phenomenon in all parts of the world. Everybody probably
has a favorite urban legend associated with horrific, ghoulish characters, but
for every part of your life, there is almost certainly a selection of urban
legends. Driving is no exception, of course. Over the years, drivers and
passengers alike have concocted a host of different myths and stories, which
have grown to become established urban legends. Sheehy Nissan of Mechanicsville has five of the most popular ones.
Carjackers
and flyers
For many
years now, worried motorists have been warned of the threat to their precious
cars from gangs of roaming carjackers. Using a combination of cunning and
audacity, these carjackers place flyers on the rear windshield of your car,
hoping that you won't notice until you have started the engine. In a fit of
irritation, you will leap out of the car to remove the flyer, allowing the
carjacker to jump in and drive off. While there can be no guarantee that this
has never happened to anybody, the reports that it is commonplace are not
founded in evidence, though it makes good sense to ensure that you take the
keys with you, even if you step away from the car for a few seconds.
Red cars
and speeding tickets
Many
drivers will theorize that there is strong evidence that red cars are given
speeding tickets more often than any other colored car. There are a number of
different theories why this is the case, ranging from 'the police like to
ticket red cars' to 'red cars get stolen more often' but the fact is that there
is no statistical evidence to support this theory. Of course, many super cars
and sports cars are red, but as a percentage of the overall auto population,
that probably isn't enough to sway the trend.
Sugar in
the gas tank
There seems
to be a popular misconception that sugar in the gas tank will ruin your car's
engine. The theory suggests that the sugar dissolves in the gasoline and then
melts into a sludge as it passes through the engine, clogging every nook and
cranny in a sugary goo. In fact, the sugar doesn't dissolve in the gas tank at
all. Small amounts would be controlled by the fuel filter, but larger amounts
would simply fill up the gas tank and prevent fuel from reaching the engine.
The reality is that the sugar would never really get anywhere near the engine,
though a big deposit in the fuel tank would certainly be a nuisance.
Keys and
cell phones
Common
urban legend would lead you to believe that if your car is equipped with a
remote keyless entry system, then any would-be thief can let him or herself
into your car with a cell phone signal, playing the 'sound' transmitted by the
keyless device. This might work if keyless systems did, indeed, use sound, but
the fact is that they don't. They use a radio frequency signal that cannot be
relayed by mobile phone, so you're quite safe, whatever anybody tells you.
Driving
barefoot
Many people
believe that if you decide to drive without wearing any shoes, then a traffic
cop will be obliged to give you a ticket. In fact, there is not a single state
in the United States where it is illegal to drive a car without footwear. The
only exception could be Alabama, where it is illegal to ride a motorcycle
without appropriate footwear, but then that's almost certainly common sense.
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