Misconceptions about Driving - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep. 10)

Hi, I'm Elliot and this is Mental Floss on YouTube

Today I'm going to talk about some misconceptions about driving and cars, so pull over

No, it's a cardigan, but thanks for asking. Misconception number one, building roads or adding highway lands will decrease people's commute times

In 2011, University of Toronto professors, Giles Durantin and Matthew Turner confirmed what's known as the Fundament

fundamental law of highway congestion. This law explains that widening and building roads actually add traffic because an increase

in roads leads to an increase in cars on those roads. According to Turner, we find that a 1% increase in road lane kilometers causes almost exactly

a 1% increase in driving. Did you hear that? City of Los Angeles

We're doomed. Misconception number two, manual cars are more fuel efficient. In the past, this one was generally true, but nowadays whether an automatic or a manual

is more fuel efficient, totally depends on what kind of car you're driving. Misconception number three it safe to talk on a hands cell phone while driving You probably understand by now how bad it is to talk on the phone or text while driving but you may not know why it frowned upon to have conversations using Bluetooth or speakerphone

According to the National Safety Council, in 2010, 1.1 million car crashes happened while one driver was talking on a cell phone

And when the NSC compared 30 studies about this, they noted that there was no safety benefit if the driver was using a hands-free phone

The real problem is that cell phone conversations are a cognitive. Distraction. Drivers are focused on something other than driving. I play air guitar while I'm driving. Is that frowned upon too

Mark? Mark. Stop playing air. No, air drums. You're on air drums, Mark

Misconception number four. Highways were designed for emergency plane landings. There's been a persistent myth that like one in every five miles of US highways must be straight so that planes could land there in emergencies

Many believe that when the interstate highway system was put in place in the 1950s, the government wanted highways to serve as emergency airstrips, especially

especially in case of war. But a spokesperson for the Federal Highway Administration has said

no law, regulation, policy, or sliver of red tape requires that one out of five miles of the interstate highway system must be straight Misconception number five to save gas use AC on highways and roll down your windows on surface streets The real truth is that the best way to save gas is just always turning the AC off no matter what speed you going

Actually, if you really want to save gas, rolling up the windows and turning off the AC is the way to do it

but you probably shouldn't do that unless you want to start resenting your car. So many studies have confirmed that having the windows down is the better option at all legal speeds

Misconception number 6. Fill with gas late in the evening or early morning to save gas

The science behind this myth is that gas is denser and cooler temperatures, so when you fill up during these times, that dense gas will contain more energy in its volume

It's true the gasoline expands depending on temperature, but it probably won't at a gas station

where gas tanks are stored 15 to 20 feet underground. There, gas is hovering at the temperature 55 degrees Fahrenheit or around 13 degrees Celsius at all hours of the day

Misconception number seven, you should always let your car warm up first

During the wintertime, some people let their car idle until it gets warm because they claim that the car will last longer that way

All that does actually is waste gas, though if it's cold out, you should be cautious

Be sure to drive and break gently for the first five to ten minutes while your car warms up

Misconception number eight Always change your oil every three months or three thousand miles Some cars are actually fine between 7 and 10 miles before they really require an oil change But every

car is different. To be safe, double check your owner's manual and follow the number they provide

there. Misconception number nine. Filling up with regular gas as opposed to premium might harm

your car. Most car experts willingly admit that this one just is not true. Like Michael

Calcons of AAA, who has said on modern cars, even when it says to use premium fuel, mid

grade or regular fuel will work. It will reduce your performance, but if you're not going to be

towing a trailer or racing, you don't necessarily need 100% of the power. Misconception number

10, red cars are pulled over most often. This theory isn't very well studied, but no researcher

has found it to be true so far. The only study on this found that you were more likely to get

pulled over if you drove a gray car. But if you have one of those cars with like the color-changing

luminescent paint, you should get pulled over for lacking taste. Thank you for watching

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And guys, I'm going to see you next week, okay? It's going to be okay. You got to wait a whole..

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