What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
The world's first speeding ticket was issued in 1896 to a Mr Walter Arnold of East Peckham, London. He was clocked doing an alarming 8 mph (12 km/h) in his motorized vehicle, four times the 2 mph (3 km/h) speed limit. He was fined 1 shilling and ordered to pay 9 shillings in costs.
In 1903, an American woman named Mary Anderson (1866–1953) invented the windshield wiper.
According to Guinness World Records, the Toyota Corolla was the first automobile in history to reach sales of 30 million. It's still the best-selling car ever.
Did you know that 95% of a car's lifetime is spent parked? In some big cities, it drops to about 92% due to increased traffic and extended commuting time. The fact that on average your car only spends about 5% of its lifetime running on the road is because it's parked overnight or in a parking lot during the day.
Laws regarding license plate display vary significantly across the United States, with 29 states currently requiring both front and rear license plates, while the remaining 21 states necessitating only a rear plate.
The average driver will spend approximately 99 days of their life stuck in traffic.
According to Statista, some 85 million motor vehicles were produced worldwide in 2022. China, Japan, and Germany were the largest producers of cars and commercial vehicles.
Cars are made up of approximately 30,000 individual parts, from the tiniest nuts and bolts to the engine block.
It is illegal to slam a car door in Switzerland after 10 pm. This statutory "nachtruhe" (night rest) applies from 10 pm to 6 am.
White remains the most popular choice among car buyers worldwide. Reasons for this vary from ease of maintenance and the color's association with luxury, to its high visibility, ergo the less likelihood of being involved in an accident.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the United States continues to be plagued by near-record levels of vehicle thefts. A report showed that nearly 500,000 vehicles were reported stolen nationwide in the first half of 2023, marking an increase of more than 2% compared to the first half of 2022.
The Tesla Model Y was the fastest-selling car in the world as of 2023. The Tesla Model Y sold 1.23 million units globally in 2023—a 64% increase from 2022.
Imagine it was possible to drive to the moon. At an average distance of 238,855 miles (384,400 km) and driving at a constant speed of 60 mph (96 km/h), it would take about 166 days to pull up on the lunar surface.
Did you know that the person who invented cruise control was blind? American mechanical engineer Ralph Teetor created the 'Speedostat' in 1948, which would later become more commonly known as cruise control by the 1960s.
Canadian-American stage and silent film actress Florence Lawrence (1886–1938) is credited with designing the first "auto signaling arm," a predecessor of the modern turn signal, along with the first mechanical brake signal. Unfortunately, she neglected to patent these inventions and, as a result, didn't receive any credit nor profit from either one.
Taking the blinkers design one step further, a man named Edgar A. Walz patented a light with two arrows and a break light—the first modern-style turn signal. By the late 1930s, Buick began manufacturing its cars with them as standard, or as an optional extra (pictured).
According to 2023 data published by automotive industry research firm Hedges & Company, the number of cars in the world is estimated to be around 1.47 billion vehicles.
According to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, 75% of all vehicles manufactured by the luxury car maker are still on the road. The first Rolls-Royce car, the twin cylinder 10HP produced from 1904 to 1906, was unveiled at the Paris Salon in December 1904.
Car manufacturers use black enamel outside the windshield to block the sun's ultraviolet rays from melting the adhesive underneath the band. As an added safety measure, the black dots serve to distribute temperature evenly to lessen optical distortion, or "lensing."
Are you aware that Volkswagen owns 12 well-known car brands from seven European countries? The portfolio includes VW passenger cars, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Scania, and MAN.
Switzerland is believed to have imposed the highest ever traffic fine: Sfr3,600 a day for 300 days, or about €1.1m, for a Swedish motorist caught driving at 180 mph (290km/h) between Berne and Lausanne. In Switzerland, speeding fines are proportionate to the amount someone earns.
Statistically, the National Safety Council estimates that the odds of dying in a motor vehicle crash in the United States are about one in 107. Your odds of dying in a plane crash are about one in 800 million!
The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is currently the fastest production car in the world, with a calculated top speed target of over 310 mph (498 km/h).
The death of Bridget Driscoll (circled) on August 17, 1896, was the first recorded case of a pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car in Great Britain. She was run over by a Roger-Benz car at Crystal Palace, London.
About half an ounce (14 ml) of fuel is needed to start a car engine.
An airbag deploys in 20 to 100 milliseconds, or roughly in around 0.1 seconds, as soon as a collision is detected. A front airbag will typically deploy when the crash is the equivalent of an impact into a rigid wall at 10-12 mph (16-19 km/h).
The word "car" is derived from the Latin word carrus or carrum, meaning "wheeled vehicle," or the Middle English carre ("two-wheeled cart"), both of which in turn derive from Gaulish karros, or "chariot."
Most car horns are tuned to the musical note F sharp or A sharp. Incidentally, a car horn uses more electricity than just about any other electrical component in a vehicle. The only other device that draws more electricity is the starter.
According to a study by DMEautomotive as reported by NBC News, singing out loud is the top non-driving activity people do in the car. In fact, at least 56% of American motorists admitted to serenading themselves behind the wheel.
The average car has more than 100 million lines of software code in the vehicle's internal computer. For comparison, a passenger plane has around 15 million lines, according to Vehicle Dynamics International.
Sources: (Guinness World Records) (Statista) (NICB) (NBC News) (Vehicle Dynamics International)
See also: What the warning lights on your car's dashboard mean
What's the world's best-selling car? How long would it take to drive to the Moon? Where does the word "car" come from? And who was the Hollywood silent film star that invented the first turn signal device? The history of the automobile is a weird and wacky one, and you won't believe some of the amazing stories behind the motor car's evolution. So, are you ready to step up a gear and find out more?
Fasten your seatbelt and steer through this gallery of crazy car facts that'll get your motor running!
Surprising stories about the evolution of the car
Interesting and bizarre truths about the automobile
LIFESTYLE Automobiles
What's the world's best-selling car? How long would it take to drive to the Moon? Where does the word "car" come from? And who was the Hollywood silent film star that invented the first turn signal device? The history of the automobile is a weird and wacky one, and you won't believe some of the amazing stories behind the motor car's evolution. So, are you ready to step up a gear and find out more?
Fasten your seatbelt and steer through this gallery of crazy car facts that'll get your motor running!